Let's Draw a Picture
by Gothika Angel01
Summary: A young girl from the White City wants to travel the cosmos. An Akuma slave child dreams of escaping the hellish tyranny that is her planet. Two unlikely friends share a common dream. How will they do it, though? And who stands in their way? Heaven? Hell? The Counsel?
1. Chapter 1

**... Long story short, this story is initially a project for my history class. We're discussing racism and prejudice and all that junk, so I came up with this. I think, it's pretty fuckin great, but hey, we'll see my grade later! I hope you enjoy this little Darksiders fic, and it might just make you think about the magic of friendship. lol**

**btw, i do not own Enariel! I heard the name in one of ****Aslynn's stories, Lostlight, and it just melted my heart! btw, if you haven't read Lostlight, or any of Aslynn's stories, go and do that! now.**

**Do it now, fuckers. ):^I**

* * *

_Racism doesn't chose people._

_People chose racism._

_-Probably the President_

* * *

Ophelia was always gifted in the Celestial arts and philosophy. Especially in regards to the prejudices of Angels against Demons. She learned this lesson at a very young age.

She was adored by many, so to speak.

As was any young angelic student. They were perceived as precious, and were crammed with as much knowledge as one could possibly fill them with. Angel children were sponges, literally soaking up any little thing they were told, and they learned quickly. Ophelia learned quicker than most, so she was of particular interest to others. Including her custodian, Aboddon.

About twelve years of age, she was rather clever. She was handsome, too. A little fair thing with a head of springy silver curls, golden eyes, and a swirling silver sigil that fell over her left eye. She was prestigious as a student, and prided herself on her knowledge as an individual. Many of her scholars were very pleased with all of her hard work and studying, including her favorite angels, Azreal and Enariel. Azreal was her most favorite teacher, and Enariel was like that of a big sister to her. Always helping her and teaching her what she knew, and in return, Ophelia would tell her things she had learned.

She never would have told Enariel this lesson. She never told anyone. Ever.

It was an autumn day, near dusk, and outside of the stone tunnels leading away from the large lookout of Lostlight, Ophelia sat by the brook and read her reading texts, practicing her foreign languages. She liked to sit there under the huge tree and read for fun, listening to the water running out from the city, the birds and their harmonic songs, and the sounds of nature in general. She liked the quiet of the outside. Often times, Zedekiah would allow her to do her studying outdoors, finding that she focused more while enraptured by nature.

One evening, Ophelia was drawn to the sounds of what sounded like sneezing in the far woods. Ophelia never really went into the woods, but the curiosity was so strong in her to know who in their right mind would be out at this time and be in the woods, of all places. So she followed the sounds.

She wasn't pleased with what she saw. And later on, she would come to regret that.

Up in the trees, a few meters away, sat a creature Ophelia never thought she would see in all of her life: An Akuma. Right there, out in the open. She was small, about the same size as Ophelia herself. She was red in skin color, bearing some bright yellow stripes that zigzagged across her face like the stripes an animal would bear. Her hair was a murky white, falling straight and slicked back so to make room for her horns. She was dressed all in rags, carrying a few parcels and what looked like a canvas.

God, what a disturbing display! Ophelia had never even seen a demon in all her life, but this one was rather the ugly type. The very sight of this Akuma made Ophelia squeal, catching the attention of the little demon in the tree. It startled her so much, that the thing seemed to lose her balance, knocking her clean from the branch. The impact sent a few leaves scattering, almost like the leaves wanted nothing to do with her as well. Then again, why would they ever want to touch something as ugly as her!

Both angel and demon stared at one another. Golden eyes fixed on arresting purple ones. Ophelia stood rigid in the wind, staring at the cowering Akuma on her bottom. She looked genuinely scared. What was she even doing here, Ophelia wondered. Demons certainly did _not_ belong in Lostlight. She was taught in school that demons were to be terminated on sight, always. They were nothing but trouble. Sheer evil.

But Ophelia couldn't kill anything if she wanted to. Instead, she just yelled at her to go away.

"P-p-p-please don't strike me dead!" The little red thing wept suddenly. She clasped her hands in front of her, in a praying sort of fashion and shook her head. "I wasn't trying to be any trouble! Just please don't hurt me, miss! I was doing no wrong! I was only sitting there to capture your likeness! I'll never do it again, I swear!"

Ophelia suddenly panicked. "Don't be so loud, fool! you'll certainly be caught! Just go if you want to-"

She stopped mid-sentence and blinked about several times.

"You were... doing what now?"

The Akuma swallowed the wetness in her mouth and wiped her tears on the inside of her arm. "I... was just sketching... My master sent me to deliver a parcel to a customer, and I was just heading back! I saw you and thought you were pretty, so I snuck up here to draw you. I'm sorry, I'll never do it again, I swear-"

"_Shoosh~!__" _Ophelia consoled. "I... I'm not mad. But... but things like you don't belong here. You have to go now, before one of the superiors show up. Plus, you might just get me in-" her words trailed off when she saw the dark scratches of the Akuma's previous sketch. It was almost identical. Ophelia knew her own face well enough to know what she looked like. And she had to say, this Akuma had skills!

"Did you do this all on your own?" Ophelia asked.

The demon nodded her head. "I learned from my master. He doesn't illustrate people, but he does illustrate still life. I taught myself to draw people."

Ophelia bent over and picked up the canvas. She looked over the details and guidelines very carefully, noting every step that was made to create her face. The circles and lines, other shapes, almond eyes, springy curls, her smile.

"M-my name's Duleb." the Akuma whimpered in a tiny voice.

Ophelia blinked. She remembered that she was with a demon, one of the bad ones for that matter. An Akuma. They were the weakest and most undesirable ones. But this one was polite, it seemed.

"My name is Ophelia. Listen, Duleb, you can't be here. I know you have caused no trouble, that I am aware of, but you must leave here before-"

"Before what?" the tiny creature interrupted. "This is a secluded place. I have been here for a while now and no one but yourself decides to ever stick around. That's why I come here to draw. This place is much safer than anywhere else in Lostlight. No angels have ever found me here, save you." Duleb interrupted.

Ophelia pondered a moment. She supposed she was right. Ophelia had come here ever since she could remember. It was nice and far from the school, and town in general, so it made for a great escape to go and study in peace. This really was a safe place. And if what this demon said was true, than she was right about it being secure. Ophelia came here very often, and never noticed her. Wait a minute-

"How do I know you aren't lying?" she asked sternly, crossing her arms over the white frills of her dress.

Duleb frowned. "I am not lying... But I can understand your skepticism. Why trust a demon, right?"

The Akuma reached behind her and pulled forth a flax bag that had been draped over her shoulder, hanging low behind her back. She pulled back the flap and mentioned for Ophelia to peek inside. There were colored wax sticks and canvases inside. Some of them all used up and colored on.

"I like to draw this place. It's much nicer than Hell, as you might already know. It's very pretty here, and I enjoy capturing these images and keeping them with me to remember."

Ophelia reached inside and grabbed the first one she could. It was a miraculously detailed image of the outskirts of the town, the top of the Crystal Spire, and in the distance, some griffons were in flight. It was just a jumble of yellows and blues and greens, but Ophelia took the time to see everything else. Every last detail.

"You have a miraculous talent, Duleb. I wish I could draw things like these." She sail with a smile. She seemed to have forgotten what the child before her even was to be smiling the way she was.

"Well... I have plenty of time before I have to check back with my master. I... I could show you how to draw... If you want! If not, I could just leave!" Duleb insisted, more comfortable around the angel, but not too much.

"I would like to learn! My superiors can all draw, and I would think it a wonderful trade to learn!" the angel replied, clapping her hands together.

* * *

While Ophelia scribbled, she displayed her work to Duleb, sitting cross-legged in front of her. "It's awful, isn't it?"

The demon shook her head. "No, no! You have only started! This is a trade that takes time and hard work! You'll get it in time, trust me!"

Ophelia continued on with her scratching. The quill was starting to hurt her hand, but she was determined to draw that bloody flower, if it was the last thing she did! How hard could it be, anyways? It was a flower! This wasn't like she was trying to capture the exact likeness of the Argent Spire! It was a simple flower!

So why did her flower suck so hard?

"Duleb, while I'm working here, why don't you tell me about yourself?" she asked. "I mean, I hardly know nothing about you, other than you're a talented Akuma."

"Oh, I suppose so. Only if you promise to do the same."

"Wonderful! Now, tell me everything!" the angel cheered.

"I... I'm not sure where to start..." Duleb murmured while she fingered her chin.

"How about, at the start?"

Angel and demon exchanged giggles. "Well, my father worked as a hired hand for one of the many Demonic mercenaries here in Sophia. Unfortunately, my dear mother died during my birthing. Three years later, a Trauma trampled my father as he worked the Valley of the Lyra. I was left an orphan with no other known relatives or family. Since the Hell is not set up to take care of orphans, I migrated to the Bafament Woods, where I spent the next few years trying to learn my alphabet and mathematical tables. While in the woods, I learned that I was to stay away from any stranger I came into contact with. If I ever went out and encountered a stranger, I would be robbed and lose any provisions I happened to have, and getting the things I need to survive was hard.

"At a decade old, I encountered a demon merchant named Vulgrim, who found favor in me and took me on as an indentured servant. As an indentured servant, I will work five years for my master, and then I will be free. I receive no money for my labor, but the master is supposed to give me food, a place to live, and training in literacy or a trade. I have mainly helped sell goods ever since I got there. There used to be more indentured servants doing the work for merchants like Vulgrim, but the slaves they are bringing in from Nergal have replaced many of them.

"My period of servitude is almost up. I have not had much education and the Legion army have taken most of the land. Since my main job has been selling things and delivering them, I do not have many other skills. Art is all I have. I think I learned from a demoness I met while I was young. She was the only one who was ever so kind to me. I think her name was Josephone. For a while, she said I could stay with her and help manage her Healer's post, but the pay is very little and I have seen how others quickly get into debt at the Healer's store. In addition, Josephone was taken away by the Legion Soldiers so she could be made useful. I think she is going to be a personal Healer to one of our Great Lords. Now, I think I am going to move westward towards the mountains. The environment is not as bad and the authorities do not like people moving west because it causes trouble with the Old Ones. But I'm no trouble, at least I don't think I am. Still, it sure is foolish how the Dark Lords have forbidden people from moving over the Bafament Mountains. Nevertheless, I think I will join others who are defying the Dark Lord's royal governor in Sophia and go west. Out there are open land and the opportunity to create my own future."

That was something. This demon wasn't just a mindless brute after all. She was, well, she was a person. Like herself. A normal person with goals and aspirations. Dreams and hopes, things she wanted to do with her life, other than destroy others, take lives, or plot the demise of Heaven.

"Your turn. Explain yourself, angel." Duleb said meekly._  
_

"Oh! Well... I am a student. I live with my custodian, Aboddon and our family at the Ivory Citadel near the Crystal Spire. Like many homes in the Ivory Citadel, Hampchester's center is common and surrounded by a few shops, a school, a very large Library, and the church. Most families live near the church. My home is a large place, but Aboddon works very hard managing all of the important things a man of his status is tasked with. He is the leader of our Hellguard. We are not that rich and the amounts of time we spend in our schools hinders us from doing much, but I make the best of my spare time, I think, especially since Aboddon and the boys go out ant train as soldiers and the girls and I make our own clothes. I earn extra money selling fruits and doing sewing for people in the Citadel.

"Aboddon and Azreal are determined that the children get as much education as possible. Every day, they walk into town for school. We also get our news from the town. Once or twice a week, Aboddon goes to the White City to learn about recent events. And every day we go to the church in town. The church is the most important part of Angelic society.

"I am worried about my future, especially around the boys. They are all so strong and smart, but I just want to be a simple Scribe. Others want to be soldiers and Archons, but I don't want to stretch myself so far... The oldest boy has taken an interest in religion, so Aboddon has decided to send him to the college to be a Archon. The next boy, though, like many in our family who cannot comprehend such things, is talking about going to the Faneguard, or enlisting in the White Army. I hope that my trade will come as sufficient enough... I don't want Aboddon thinking me a failure..."

Ophelia looked up from her painting for a moment and saw those purple eyes staring at her. She stared back, then flashed her drawing at her. "This makes us friends now, doesn't it?"

For a moment, Duleb's features faltered for a moment. She had never had any real friends, not for long, anyways. Most other people thought Ophelia was too quiet, too awkward. The very thought of being a friend to an angel, of all things, made her a bit scared. Ophelia always got nervous and scared when she tried to talk to other angels and make friends.

However, that fear was soon overrun by the chest-tightening feeling of promise and blithe. She would very much like to be friends with Ophelia. Even if it was unbecoming of any demon or angel to associate themselves with the other race in any way other than that of a simple , Duleb seemed nice enough.

"Would you be my friend? Even if I'm a demon?" she asked in that little accent of hers.

Ophelia smile and reached over, clasping the red and yellow skinned hand in her own white gloved ones.

"I'm not as prejudiced as my brothers and sister. I'll be your friend. I'll be your best friend."


	2. Let's be friends forever

**Okay, okay. I know I said I was making this fic a one-shooter, but because Kawaii-Ishi-chan01 came into my life, I couldn't help but make this a thing that happens in my DS storyverse. So, yeah. Opi and Duleb are now a thing! like a prelude to my ROTP fic, I guess. *le shrugs* meh?**

**anyways, I hope this doesn't suck too hard! Lol, thanks for the positive feed back, Ishi-kohai!**

***Tackle hugs***

* * *

If there was one thing Duleb could count on when seeing her friend arrive from her studies, it was the flash of her white gloves to cover her blushed cheeks while she smiled. She never took those gloves off, ever, at all. Not for anybody, which Duleb thought strange. Ophelia was such a pretty pink thing! And she was always so happy to see Duleb at the end of every school day. The Akuma felt pleased to have always been the cause of that pretty smile whenever the angel saw her.

"I hope you like amber crème cake!" Ophelia sang as she swept out a sheet-covered basket that smelt of freshly baked goods.

Duleb rubbed her hands together. "I very much do! Don't tell me you've baked some?" The demon then frowned subtly. "And I didn't bring you anything..."

The angel shrugged her tiny shoulders, not seeming to care about that fact. She instead lifted the powder blue sheet off of the oblong basket, which puffed out steam like an angel's breath in Lostlight's winter. She unfolded the sheet, shook it out, smoothing it over the grass and setting the basket right in the middle.

"I had Ignatius add some scopuli and a few other things he had about." She glanced at Duleb's form. "I thought you could use some substance."

Duleb's cheeks heated and she smiled a little as she leaned over to peer into the basket. Not only was there cakes and cheeses, but there were fruits, wine and breads, and the scopuli, which Duleb hadn't known was a fish. This demon hardly ever ate meat, but when she was given the privilege, she would have always preferred fish. They all smelt lovely, everything in the basket made Duleb feel she was to start drooling.

"Thank you, Ophelia." the demon murmured. The whole basket, small as it was, was more food than Duleb in a week. "This all smells delicious."

Ophelia looked up from inhaling the smell of her cakes, curls springing, and smiled again. She reached inside and pulled out a thick slice of fluffy white amber crème cake, placing it in the akuma's outstretched hand. She thought Duleb looked so hungry, she would have devoured the morsel before it had been completely handed to her. Poor thing. She watched as the demon took a huge bite, humming at the flavors she encountered. While the angel poured a small cup of wine, she suggested the fish right away, saying it was great with the bread, and the demon heeded her words.

Duleb had never eaten so much fish before now, and now, every other fish was ruined for her. It was all the best food Duleb had in days. Her traveling rations were plain and had become boring over the past few years. She often grumbled about how Vulgrim and her superiors ate much better than she, and were quite smug about it. It was never good for a demon to be smug with you. Never.

The demon looked up and slowed as she all too soon came near the end of her fish, cake and bread, to see her friend beaming. She was smiling so hugely, watching the other eat, and her eyes twinkled so brightly. She was so pretty, Duleb thought, and she probably had no idea.

"Ophelia," Duleb spoke around a mouthful of fish, then drank her cup greedily. "must you be so pleased about a basket of food?"

"Well, this poor akuma is practically starving," the angel leaned over and poked Duleb's belly. "Just look at yourself! I'm just happy to help give you a meal, my friend."

Duleb put off the last few bites near the end of her second helping of fish and bread. She quickly realized that all of the cooked fish was about gone. She could have eaten that entire basket if she wanted. But, she realized Ophelia had hardly had any to eat. That, and she had only one cup of wine so far. Duleb probably had three or four. he really didn't want to seem greedy to her friend.

"Ophelia, I'm sorry-"

"What for, silly?"

"For not saving any of the scopuli for you."

The angel blinked a few times before sucking her lips through her teeth and stifling a long laugh. Puzzled by her laughter, the akuma waggled a hand at the basket.

"What's so funny, here? Ophelia, I was being serious-"

"This was all for you. Just for you. I thought I made that pretty clear. I helped bake and cook everything here for you and I bought the wine from big brother Ignatius, because he's the only adult who lets me drink with him. Nevertheless, this is all for you. I wanted you to enjoy it. Eat it all if you like. You work hard for very little. You deserve this."

Duleb furiously twisted the strand of hair at the end of her long tail. Rarely did she ever receive such praise. She blinked about several times like she seemed to run it through her mind again, trying to make herself somewhat comfortable with what had been implied there.

"I feel like I'm taking it from you, Ophelia."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You keep giving me nice things, clothes, books, food, and I have not a thing to give in return. As a friend, I shouldn't be so-"

"Duleb, please. It's quite alright. I understand your situation. You have nothing more to give me but your time and friendship. That's all I need. I don't ask anything of you. I can get by. But I am fully aware of the fact that you are not as lucky as I

"I'm not giving you all these things in expectation that I may receive some material item in return. I give you gifts because I know you have very little to call your own, and I want to see you happy. I like giving you things that you need. It makes me happy to see you happy. Therefore, I don't need anything in return. You give me enough, like letting me see your smiling face every afternoon."

This angel somehow always knew what to say to make Duleb's stomach flutter. She was lucky she wasn't standing up, otherwise her knees would have felt like jelly. Ophelia always had a way with words, especially when it came to flattering someone, so Duleb thought. If there was one other thing the demon could count on, it was Ophelia's kind and sweet words.

* * *

The two had been seeing one another for the past two months, each sneaking off t their respective hiding spot to socialize and draw and paint and laugh together. While Ophelia read aloud to Duleb about the structure of literary content, the demon would sit and scratch away at her canvas. It became clear that Ophelia was becoming the source of all of Duleb's inspiration. The little demon was drawing the angel more and more every day, and getting even better at capturing her likeness with all the practice she was getting.

Ophelia was improving herself, finding a fondness in drawing still life, and birds. She loved to draw birds.(1) The two loved to share stories about their work and the course of their day, what their plans were for the following day, what was happening in their little towns and such. Ophelia became especially chatty once she got used to talking to Duleb, and it often reflected in her time away from her secret friend. Rather than being scared to talk to people in the White City, Ophelia become more open and prone to sharing her opinion.

The change was noticed by many of Ophelia's peers. Including her brothers and sisters.

One morning, before their morning lectures, Ophelia, Marcia, Luden, Verdell, Idella, and Samandriel were walking out toward the bridge, waiting for Jophiel to come and let them into the Ivory Citadel for their schooling. She always spent time with the children before she went off to the Crystal Spire to do whatever it was the High Counsel did. Ophelia often wondered what all the grown ups had to do in their spare time. (She hoped it wasn't boring...)

Jophiel was by far, the tallest and most beautiful angel Ophelia could say she had ever seen. She must have been about eight feet tall. Her skin was as dark as oak, eyes as bright as stars and sparkled a beautiful spectrum of different colors. Sometimes, Ophelia could see all of the colors of the rainbow in her eyes. Her white hair fell to the center of her back, but also looked to have multiple colors when in the right light. Her wings, though, proudly displayed all of the colors imaginable, some bold, others faint. Nevertheless, Jophiel was quite the spectacle, and was such a marvelous and colorful individual. Her personality was just as bright as the rest of her, but most people were often distracted by her outward beauty to notice her inner beauty.

Ophelia normally trailed behind the rest of her group when being guided into the Citadel, preferring to simply sit and listen to everyone else talk about things, but until recently she had been cantering about more quickly and openly talking to her brothers and sisters, as well as Jophiel. To some, it was a huge difference to see their baby sister suddenly so talkative and open, as well as very opinionated and honest. Jophiel loved the change, however, and encouraged the opinions of her dearest Ophelia more than anybody else.

To some, the change was a bit too sudden for their liking.

"-I just think that if everyone was to stop leaving the partons out where the Sphinx could see them, they'd all stop coming and gnawing at the ropes. I know we need the partons to help in setting up new greenhouses throughout Lostlight, but we should also consider what we're doing to the habitats of the creatures who were in the area first. That's all I'm saying." Ophelia commented one morning after Luden had complained about the numerous Sphinx that had recently destroyed the partons used in pore-construction.

"There first? _We_ were there first. Everyone knows that, Ophelia." Idella scoffed. "Those pests wouldn't even be a problem if people would just stop keeping them as pets! They're filthy beasts who belong out in the wild, not in our homes and offices! It's just unbecoming to start worrying about them now."

The red-haired angel crossed her arms over her chest, huffing a breath and blowing her hair out from her bold yellow eyes. Idella was a bit of a stiff, so everyone thought. Always cranky and bossy, always upset about something. She treated her little brothers and sisters in a way that wasn't exactly favored among her peers, but that never stopped her. She claimed that her younger siblings were all "troublemakers," and "irresponsible."

"But they have no say in what happens to their homes! We're building our gardens right on top of them, forcing them all to leave! How do you think they feel?" Ophelia spoke up all of the sudden. Marcia, Luden, and Nathaniel all stared. There was a first. Ophelia never spoke up about anything, especially when Idella was involved.

Another scoff. "They're dumb beasts, Ophelia. They don't have feelings."

Smugly. "Maybe to them, you're a dumb beast with no feelings."

Silence. Golden eyes peeked out from behind amber red hair, glaring at the springy-haired youth as she sat on the edge of the bridge and sketched.

"Doesn't feel too nice, does it?" the youngest continued.

"I think you need to shut your mouth, Ophelia!" Idella hissed, straightening in her spot against the head of the bridge. "Or I'll-"

"Or what?" Ophelia snapped, from out of nowhere, not looking up from her canvas. "You have no authority over us. You're just a bully! Aboddon said you need to learn to control your temper, but I think you need to learn your place!"

Luden spoke up, but Idella yelled over him. Marcia said she was going to tell if Idella started throwing a fit, and Verdell kept telling Ophelia to stop arguing. She would give in, though. She, as well as all of the younger angels were all tired of Idella's behavior, and she told her big sister as much, and it was then that Idella just walked over, yanked the canvas right from Ophelia's hands and slapped her real hard, right across the face.

There was no tears or crying, if anything, Ophelia looked surprised. As did everyone else, save Idella, whose golden eyes blazed brightly with anger.

"How dare you!" the eldest spat. "I am your elder, and you are to have respect for me!"

Idella's gloved hand rose up again, preparing to deliver another slap, when another much larger hand grabbed at hers and spun her around. Ophelia watched as Aboddon gave her a slap right on her mouth and grabbed at her arm, yanking her aside. He looked angry, more so that Ophelia had ever seen him be in all her life.

"And who do you think you are, Idella?" Aboddon growled as the redhead covered her mouth with her other hand. "That is your child sister, your _responsibility! _And I see you here putting your hands on her like this!?"

Idella looked just as shocked as all of the other children were. Her lips moved all crazy like, but no words other than dumb gibberish came forth. Aboddon sent Idella over to the West Wing Chapel to tell Raphael what she had done, and receive a punishment from him while Aboddon led the other children inside the Spire for their schooling.

Nobody spoke the entirety of the trip up the spire. Since she felt like the whole escapade was (more or less) her fault, Ophelia hung back behind the rest of the group, watching her shoes as she walked up the seemingly endless flights of stairs and corridors to Azreal's study where they usually received their lectures.

Pig-headed Idella, Ophelia thought sourly. She was an awful person to deal with, and she and her brothers and sisters had no choice other than to deal with her. Oh well. After much observation and analysis, Ophelia had discovered that warriors like Idella were hardly the brightest. It was scholars and scribes like herself that actually had a lick of common sense. The only muscle she preferred to use was her brain. Unlike her bellicose sibling, though, she actually cared about what was going on with the people and things around her, other than herself.

The group passed an ornate bridge in sight of where their dear friend Nathaniel was standing guard with Luke and Nazarius. As was their little habit, every young angel called over to them and waved. The soldiers stood tall and proud at their posts, as they normally did, and upon hearing their names being called, he turned his attention to the children and offered a wave of his own. Ophelia didn't wave. Rather, she just stared from beneath her brows over to the soldiers. They would never notice her, after all. Why should they?

Oh well. It wasn't like their waving every morning and afternoon was such a spectacle to behold. They would never notice her lack of participation. Besides, it wasn't like she had always waved to them every day. That had only gone on for a few weeks, since Ophelia met Duleb.

Immediately, the angel thought about her best friend. She wondered what she could possibly be up to. She had said the night before that she was on her way to the outskirts of Sophia to deliver a parcel of Pewter and Nightfringe to a dealer who had finally earned Vulgrim's attention in distributing business. She was just going to deliver the contraband to the Sprite man and, as she heard from other messengers, the Sprites tipped ridiculously well.

That must be frightening, Ophelia thought, delivering things to another country that would kill you if you were caught with it. Apparently, Nightfringe was a substance that was highly toxic to Sprites and was not to be dealt with at all. Nightfringe was easily slipped into drinks and foods as a poison, and it had a very distinct smell to it. The smell, once airborne, was just as deadly. The Pewter stones, on Duleb's account, could be ground into a fine powder to cover up the smell. Then, that there was a quick way to assassinate someone.

As she thought more and more on it, the angel felt her stomach begin to turn. She prayed in her mind, prayed that her friend would be safe and deliver what she needed to with no trouble. Then again, what was she thinking? This was Hell she was going to be running around in. Trouble was everybody's one and only friend.

* * *

"I thought that my customers were people of logic and reasoning, not fear and superstition..." Vulgrim grumbled as Duleb stuffed the remaining packs of sealed leaves and stones in her rucksack.

"It seems as though you are he only one willing to deliver these products to Onyekachukwu on your own," his gnarly hands passed a final sack of tightly packed stones onver to his servant with a contemptible grin, which was a normal thing for him, since that was just his face. "Your courage is admirable, young one. I should see to it once you return, if you return, you will be rewarded."

The akuma child said nothing more than a "Yes sir" as she packed the rest of her provisions and made sure she had everything that she needed for the day long journey. Something to eat, something to shield her face and body from the sun, and something discrete to carry water. In Sophia, water was like gold, and was stolen every chance any party had.

"Now," the demon merchant started, waggling a finger at the child before she made to depart this store. "You had better see to it that these parcels arrive safely at their destination, whether it be by your hand, or another. And I expect _all _of the proceedings."

The tone of his voice was menacing, if not threatening, but that was to be expected of him. After all, he had been robbed by deliverers in the past, and he could not trust a single one of them. Duleb had known a few of the others who had stolen from Vulgrim, and she didn't know them long. Vulgrim had many connections and favors that he called in whenever he saw fit, and when someone stole from him, whenever the merchant went without making a profit, there was always hell to pay.

"I understand, but you know the Riggers are all over that desert, especially in the scrublands where I'm headed." Duleb said as she itched her face.

"You're taking the shortcut?" he asked her. "You normally go the long way about when I send you here."

Yes, Duleb had been to this crackhouse in the desert before, and it wasn't really normal for Duleb to take the short way to her destination, but there was more trouble on the roads less traveled than the common streets. Bandits, robbers, riggers, lepers, all those fun things every demon wanted to avoid.

"I don't plan on sleeping in the desert over night. I want to return as quickly as possible." Duleb slung the sack onto her back and wiped hr brows with the back of her hand. "You know how hot it is there. I'm covered in fur. I don't wish to stay long. Who would?"

A raspy laugh. Duleb had been told that she was the one of few demons who could make Vulgrim genuinely laugh. Perhaps it was her ignorance, or her blunt point of view on things. She did not believe she was at all funny, but whenever she happened to say something, anything, somebody thought it amusing.

On her way out, Duleb looked up to where she would sleep in the cranny above the rock overhang to the entrance of Vulgrim's store. Her canvases were up there, as well as her few reading tablets and tomes. The things up there made her think of her dearest friend in Lostlight. Her friend that was probably expecting her to return to her safely back to their floral hideaway back in Lostlight, if not tonight, tomorrow afternoon.

She wasn't much of the praying type, Duleb had no God or higher power to call upon for help, but she couldn't help herself from silently asking for some protection, from nothing in particular. She knew what she was to do now was dangerous, and there was a good chance sh might not make it back alive, but she had discussed it enough with her angel. Both knew that what needed to be done absolutely had to be done. Demons were punished for not fulfilling their orders.

So, off she went, out toward the dark tower. The blasted realm's black sun and fiery crown of light was the best light source the Black Stone could get, and had been the only thing Duleb could have known as a sun for the longest time. After all of her travels, through, she had seen a whole lot more than just that one sun. She had been to many other worlds and had seen her fair share of beauty and turmoil. Nergal seemed to have no sun past the bleak dark clouds that spilled snow and ice without end, the Frge Lands seemed to have the most tranquil and calm scenery Duleb could ever imagine, Sophia had six suns, one of which was the black sun of the Black Stone and each one setting in turn.

It wasn't that far to the tower for Duleb to go off to, but she still dreaded going there. The gatekeeper always made Duleb pay a different fee every time she needed to pass, and whenever she came up short, she was always hurt somehow. This time was no different. He charged her eleven knotts just for her to pass on her own. As was custom, he asked what she was carrying with her and where it was going. It was all medicine going to The city of Rüzvan in Sophia. That place was always needing medicine, since so many people there ate and drank things they shouldn't.

She paid her fee and was allowed to pass, but still dreaded the experience. Traveling by any other means than a Serpent Hole or laylines always made her sick. The heat that was to greet her would be even more unpleasing.

After the white void of rushing wind and spinning currents of cold dissipated, there was brightness and heat. Miserable heat. The desert sky shone clear and pink above the platform where demons came and went from this world, but out from the platform was nothing but desert sand. This Transport platform was the only shaded thing for miles, Duleb knew. She was more than glad now that she had bought herself a new pair of moccasins to tread the white-hot sand with rather than her bare feet. She had heard tale of people foolish enough to walk around the desert bare-footed, and the skin of their feet were burnt right off. Blooded, charred, and blackened to a crisp, all from the sand alone.

Duleb, being covered head to toe in fur, made it so she wore just enough to cover herself, and nothing more. Too much cover could kill her. Too little could burn her. She made sure she had something to cover her face, to keep her out of trouble. Outsiders were not allowed to show their faces in the city.

when at last the demon was ready to move on, she took the first step outside of the platform and onto the desert sand. It still burned her through her moccasins, but only a little. That was good, she supposed. She had a whole lot of walking ahead of her.

And she had a whole lot of desert to go through to get there.

* * *

So far so good, Duleb thought as she ducked and weaved through the crowded streets full of cloaked demons and colorful winged Spirites. It had been about nine hours since she left the platform and entered the desert and so far, the only trouble Duleb had was with a huge Legion soldier who had tried to rob her when she entered the well into the city. She had to get through them to get to the underground city.

The hulking demon demanded any money she had, which was none. He tugged at her arms and legs, pawing at even her most private places, searching for a purse of some kind and throwing a fit when he didn't find one. He ripped off her shoes and threw them away, growing more enraged when no coins fell out of them. His fist hit her in the gut real hard before he shoved her off into the well. She vomited twice after that, but luckily, her parcels were still in tact.

Now, all she had to do was get to where she was going without getting trampled by all these demons. Some people tried to stop her and steal her things from her, and she couldn't bite them all off, her face was concealed. Rather, she simply held up the one and only thing that was to keep her things safe in times like these: the pendant that resembled Vulgrim's chimes that he had outside of all of his outposts. When people saw those, they tended to back off. Not many thieves lived to brag about stealing a profit form Vulgrim. He had many connections.

In this city, full of its fair share of carts and merchants trying to pedal their goods or services, prostitutes trying to make a few knotts for whatever they needed, (Duleb never really cared for those women) and the occasional crazy person who people were cursing and stoning in the street. A few dead bodies lay in the streets. A few younger children ran naked past the carts and things, stealing what they could. Duleb did her best to avoid everyone.

The crowned violet and bronze shining plaza then came into view over the shapes of all of the taller people. The building where the demons made and distributed their drugs and whatnot. She didn't want to stay here long, so she hurried on over to the stairs to get in and get what she needed sold already.

She knocked nineteen times, with some pauses between them, and waited to be let in. It was awful loud, maybe they would not hear her.

The door opened only just to reveal the image of a large black eye and a purple skinned man. "What you want?"

"I come to deliver a parcel," Duleb shrugged her pack on her back. "From Vulgrim."

The black eyes wouldn't seem to stop blinking, but they looked her over and over. When at last the man seemed to have come to a decision, the door quickly swung open and she was ushered inside. "Manol waits for you upstairs. Get in, get out. Go, now."

He didn't need to tell Duleb twice. The last thing the akuma wanted to do was spend any more time in this crackhouse, and for good reason. Sprites scared her. The black eyes, colorful skin, gossamer-like wings, and strange customs. They were all crazy, if you asked her. All they cared about was their liquor, women, shiny bits, and the clouds. They were superstitious about the clouds delivering messages from the Dark One. The smallest image, which could be interpreted different ways, could cause great joy to the nation, or invoke civil war.

Without looking at the harem of beautiful winged women and twitching, morbidly skinny men, Duelb darted up the steps to the one-roomed layabout area where Manol normally waited. He was a pretty docile customer. Always paid in full, never a fuss, never a problem. This visit was to be the same way.

As was expected, the Sprite man sat shirtless in the center of the floor, meditating as it seemed. His wings lay limply on the floor behind him, and a huge square was drawn freshly on the floor. He sat in its center, a candle at each point. He sat there silent, his jawline twitching, making inaudible words. Duleb stood patiently and waited for him to finish. She never asked what it was he had said, or what he was meditating about. She never spoke to him at all, really. She just delivered his drugs and received the pay. Sometimes, he would give her extra money, and she would keep that much for herself.

"You 'ave the Pewter, yes?" his breathy, almost whispering voice asked after the droning silence between them came to a halt when some women started laughing like crazy downstairs.

"And the Nightfringe. Like you requested." Duleb stated quietly. She knew he hated things too loud. That's why he stayed up here.

His slender frame stood slowly off the ground. He was a lean man, not too muscular or brawny, with nicely squared shoulders and supple looking pale blue skin. He was kind of handsome to look at. "How much I owe you th's time?" he asked softly, stretching his arms.

"One-hundred-sixty-four knotts."

Manol turned his head only so that Duleb could see his one burning amber eye. He was a mutt. Purebred Sprites have coal black eyes. This Sprite had amber eyes, like that of fire.

"I don' carry knotts anymore," inaudibly, his voice came. "Only gilt."

"Then that's ninety-seven."

He fingered about in his pockets slowly, and in an almost graceful fashion. He made a sound in his throat that sounded like he hadn't found was he was looking for, then leaned over to blow out a candle. He repeated the process with the remaining three candles and then over to a large cluttered vanity. He pulled open the thin wire drawer and shuffled around in there. Duleb heard things clatter about like glass on metal, or perhaps the money. She would never question him about it.

"Here. Take dese. I 'ave four packs o' twenty, and ano'er o' ten," He tossed the packs over to Duleb and waggled a hand at her, mentioning for her to hand over the contraband. "You can just take wha'ever's left. I don' feel like counting 'em all."

"Yes sir, Vulgrim will be pleased with this." the akuma muttered with a deep bow of her head.

Manol pulled a wrap out of his drawer and stick it in his mouth. With a match from his pocket, he lit the wrap and gave it a long drag. "Tell your masah I'll be reques'n ano'er shipment in the next few moons. Have a few tings set aside for me, yes?"

Another bow. "Yes sir. I'll tell him."

"Good. Be on your way then."

And that was that. Things normally went down like this, short and sweet. Ophelia had no reason to worry, Duleb thought. In fact, when she got back, she might want to hear about her little trip. Might wanna hurry, then.

* * *

It was almost past curfew when Duleb finally showed up at their hiding spot. Ophelia had done everything she could to keep from screaming when she saw her friend's face in the dark after the whole day of dull schooling and drab routines a young angel student had to deal with.

"What took you so long, Duleb! I've been worried sick about you!" the angel cried as she took her dirty friend into her arms in a long-awaited embrace.

The little demon wrapped her tired arms around her friend, finding comfort in the softness of her ruffled dress and curly feathers. She inhaled a deep breath of the angel's sweet scent and gave the faintest chuckle. "It was a long walk through the desert. Instead of going the long way through the scrublands, I decided to try and go through the trenches. It got me there faster, but the hills and drops killed me."

Soft laughter and a smile came from the angel as she pulled the demon down to sit with her on the cool grass. "Well, you're alright, yes? You got there safely?" she asked in that breathy voice she got when she got excited.

"It was fine. Had a run-in with a robber, but thankfully, no Riggers."

"What the bleeding hell is a Rigger?"

Duleb sighed. She didn't really want to have to explain to her angel what a Rigger was, lest she worry more about her whenever she went for a run to Sophia. "Maybe it's best if you didn't know, Ophelia..."

"Why not?" she laughed.

"Because you worry about me too much. I can see it in your face whenever I tell you about my leaving for a delivery." A clawed finger poked at the angel's chest. "Like yesterday. You were frantic about this trip."

"Was not," Ophelia denied.

"Liar! You looked like you were on the verge of tears when I told you about it."

Silver springs bounced about while Ophelia laughed and carried on as to how she was not worried all day, but eventually Duleb wore her down and forced her to confess her fears. They both talked about their day, but the time was short lived. Curfew came quicker than expected and Ophelia had to hurry back to her loft.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" she asked as she prepared to make her way back to the town.

"As far as I know, nothing. I might have to help sort and pack things, but other than that, It could be my day. What about you?"

The angel shrugged. "The same as always. School, language, arts, and then it's back home to sit and do my normal chores." She hugged her friend again and made sure she hugged her real tight, since she had missed her so much.

"Ophelia-" Duleb started. "Before you go, we need to get something out of the water..."

"I beg your pardon?" the angel asked as she pulled back and looked into the glowing violet eyes of her akuma companion.

"We need to try harder to keep this a secret." her concerned voice whispered over the chirps of crickets and the whistle of the wind.

"A secret? You mean us, right?" Ophelia asked, still having not moved from the hold she had on the furry demon. She seemed to have forgotten how close she was to her.

"Right. I think we should be more careful. I mean, I wander off here every day, and Vulgrim has asked me no questions. He's suspicious. As should any angel close to you should be."

"Well, Enariel has asked me why I have stopped sewing like I normally do, and she asked where I had learned sketching from. I had to lie to her about it. I lied and told her I just started teaching myself." Her golden eyes looked sadly at the demon's arms around her waist. "I felt terrible for lying to her. I never lied to anyone before..."

_Oh no, did I do this,_ Duleb thought, _is it my fault that she is being forced to lie? I never wanted her to have to do anything she didn't want to do..._

Duleb, thinking of nothing better to do for her friend, leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. The angel looked stunned at first, a rosy sheen beginning to smother her usually pale face. Both girls stood frozen and quiet, like they were thinking of something to do or say to ease the other's tension.

But there were no more words.

Both girls knew that what they were doing, their friendship, was a crime of the highest degree. They were fully aware of that. They had talked about it many times. But, it was a risk that was worth taking. They loved each other, and it should matter not what blood ran in their veins, or what species they were; that love and friendship should mean that they would do anything possible to look out for one another. No matter what.

Another promise was made that night, by that tiny kiss shared from the Kingdom of Hell to the Kingdom of Heaven: that they would be friends forever, and nothing; not threat from superiors, or fear of death would change that.

Not even Death himself would tear them apart.


	3. Let's Keep Things Like They Were

The moments where the two were together, quietly watching out on Lostlight and its floating Isles in the distance, and just enjoying each other's company were the ones they cherished the most. More often then not, when Ophelia came up over the small hill towards the mouth of the woods, Duleb was already there, and there was nothing much to talk about. So they would just sit on the grass and watch, listening to everything and nothing around them and just enjoying one another.

Sometimes, they would have gifts for each other; the Cocoa beetles Duleb had bought from Hena, and some Opalescence that Ophelia made in her alchemy class. They brought each other food and wine from their native countries, including fruits neither party had ever imagined they'd see.

They exchanged many things brought from all over their place of origin and beyond, but the most fascinating things that had been seen are the images that Duleb had painted and colored that captured the places she had seen. Bold and colorful canvases, one after the next, displaying all of the different territories of Hell and Hell controlled planets.

Nergal was a frostbitten place, with tall mountains, industrial cities and much more pretty than the angel had anticipated. It's cities were rather grand and polar in design, and the people there were even more so.

The population of Nergal, according to Duleb's account, was mostly Akumas, since they were one of the few species of demon equipped enough to endure the harsh year-long winter. Akumas, although strange to look at, were a very intelligent people, and knew their way around epic machinery, which made a whole lot of sense, considering how much Duleb herself enjoyed tinkering. She told incredible tales of having seen huge battleships soaring up ahead over the city, like giant flying base camp all on its own.

Sophia was a desolate desert place- on it's surface.

Beneath all of the sand and stinging dust devils, were gorgeous temples and spires, seemingly deep enough to penetrate the center of their planet. It was an entire underground country, connected by hundreds upon hundreds of tunnels and underground caves. In all, there was thirty-one spires, some raising high enough that the surface of the ground was insufficient in height, and at their peaks were the tantra temples and observatories.

The people there, Sprites as Duleb called them, were so exotic and insectile it hurt to look at them. Many men and women boasting multiple pairs of arms or eyes, with beautiful gossamer-like wings, each one possessing skin of a different hue, from peachy to blue, red, green, and every color in between.

Opposite their polar cousins, Sprites were hardly the brightest. Mostly superstitions, they were possibly the ditziest race Duleb had ever encountered on her travels. Not to be cruel or anything, but they were pretty stupid. The only thing those people were good at, other than their special attunement to astrological and meteorological phenomenons, were being gaudy, flamboyant butterflies that looked pretty and observed clouds and stars.

There was a Sprite, however, that Duleb said she couldn't quiet place a label on; Manol, one of the many dealers that had made Sophia all the more hazed with the hallucinogenic substance that drove everyone wild. She said Manol was always very relaxed and was either reading or meditating whenever she happened to see him. He was literate, poised, and rather elegant for a man of his standing, and Duleb just couldn't seem to figure him out. He just seemed too smart to be one of your run-of-the-mill drug dealers.

Oh well. Another mystery for the ages.

Now Hena was perhaps the most spectacular location on this Hell controlled planet that Duleb had depicted: a colorful and vibrant capital filled with bustling cities and a metropolis of just about every demon one could fathom, however the creatures here seemed more, civilized, so to speak. It was a place of architecture and science, a place where many of the wise men and women came to solve their country's many problems. It made Duleb wonder why all of those people had to hold their grand counsels just to talk about getting things figured out. Ophelia asked if they ever acted on fixing most of the society's problems. Duleb decided not to answer.

Communism is one reason she left her polar home country.

Hena was an industrial capital, much like Nergal, although rather than working mostly with warfare and battle-wise machinery, the people in Hena worked with just the basics, like trolleys, gaundalas, trains and lite-rails that ran all throughout the city. (Basically, they made hellish little trinkets and incredible means of transportation.) That, and they were a mostly parliamentary society. Duleb loved this place, and would have loved to live there, but sadly, women of any other race, other than a succubus, never got too far in that city.

That was why she wanted so badly to move west. In the west, there were fewer people, and with fewer people came fewer problems.

"I aspire to live on my own, perhaps in the forest, but I'll be happy in a hole in the mountain if it means nobody will come and bother me." the demon said after she shared her tales from Hell's territories. "What about you? Surely you don't plan to live in the noisy city all your life? I know you love your family and such, but that doesn't sound like you at all."

"Actually, you're right. I want to live by the ocean, all on my own. Azreal used to tell my sister and I about the time he lived in Silverwall, an outpost near the Empty Sea, and he told us how beautiful it was. There are a few problems, though…"

"And those are?"

"Well, first of all, there are a lot of monsters in that ocean. I've heard tales of entire ships being devoured by giant serpents that lurked beneath the tidal walls. Plus, Silverwall gets flooded quite often. There was once a time where I had to share a room with a few other girls from there because their house was filled to the near second story with ocean water! Can you believe that?" Opi laughed as she picked some grass off of the lap of her gown.

Silver hair swayed as the demon shook her head. "I can't say I can, but I know you'd never lie to me." Wink. "But anyways, why would you want to live near a swollen ocean filled with monsters? Isn't the White City or Lostlight-"

"Oh, good heavens, Lostlight could never compare to the beauty of the shoreline! I've seen the grand buildings and enormous churches my entire life, heard the city's orchestral tenor my entire life. I wish to go and live somewhere new. Someplace where I could possibly sit outside and read in peace without having to really worry about anyone. And besides, then I get to live on the beach! And there's all sorts of amazing things to find on the beach. The sea might be called "Empty," but it's far from it!"

Where the demon sat, half a pace in front and one to the left, she leaned back and let herself fall into her angel's lap, looking up at her with a smile she knew would get the other's attention. Ophelia laughed and began plucking the tiny green flowers from the ground around them and lacing them into the akuma's hair, around her horns and behind her ears. Internally, Duleb felt a tightening in her chest about the dream of living by the sea. Something that resonated with the demon on an intimate level. Ophelia's words about her passion for the sea began pulling on whatever heartstrings Duleb had, and her body began to suddenly ache with longing.

Longing to swim, mind you.

"Opi, I love the way you look when you're talking about your dreams. You beam so brightly, it hurts."

"Why thank you ever so kindly, Duleb. It seems to me like you must enjoy listening to!me ramble on about silly things." Opi snickered. Not many ever really cared about what she wanted, or what she thought. An angel worthy of respect attends to her duties. Wants and needs are to come second.

Stretching her arms out, Duleb reached up and gently stroked Ophelia's cheek. She offered a small smile. "I could listen to you ramble forever."

There it was, that sheen smothering of red that covered Ophelia's fair cheeks. She knew that nickname would stick the day Duleb was too "distracted" to say her full name. Playfully, she slapped a furry arm, and was poked in her side in retaliation.

For a brief moment, Ophelia suddenly noticed how exotically attractive Duleb was, looking up at her from her chest with big violet eyes hooded by silver lashes. She looked so much different than any girl in Lostlight or the White City.

The two laughed like that and played like that and talked like that for years.

The two loved one another like that for years, and for years, not a soul knew.

* * *

_A great many years later..._

Many times, Ophelia had wandered these hallways, and many times, it was toward the same destination, however these days of late had sent her on many different quests to parts of the Argent Spire she had never seen before. In her youth, she was limited to only a handful of classrooms and libraries, where she devoted most of her time, save for the few gardens and rest areas this place provided.

Right now, though, she was simply taking a more… direct route to Azreal's many offices. She hadn't slept in days- and was being powered by the moment by pure sugar and the strongest tea she could purchase legally- so taking the long way might have killed her.

Azreal had sent Marciabella for her earlier, with a message saying that he wanted to speak with her about her living proposal. The very damn thing she had been waiting to talk to him about for weeks.

Prior to this little arrangement, Opi had asked her teacher for a small loan to be able to purchase an apartment in Silverwall, just to get herself situated there. She had promised, fervently, that she would pay him back every penny, to which his only response was, "I'll think about it."

_Way to dig deep, Azreal_.

Hopefully, Azreal had come to a conclusion on her offer, and Opi hoped and prayed that it would be a decision in her favor. When she asked her father, Aboddon rejected the idea, and insisted that she stay in the White City to live with the rest of her brothers and sisters where it was much safer for a young lady like herself.

Being as tired as she was, Ophelia had no intent on wasting what little energy she had on walking all the way there, so she took to the wing. Quickly as the ascent was to the near peak of the Spire, any angel could never help but notice all of the colorful lights that swathed every inch of this enchanting chamber of treasures. It was one of Ophelia's favorite places to sit and just read. If she were allowed to set up a hammock somewhere, just to sit and relax, she would be at her most peaceful.

If only…

Everything could be found in this magical place; scrolls, books, graven tablets, and even poetry. Hundreds of thousands of sources of both magical, and political knowledge were located here, including one of the original first copies of the Codex Bellum.

Not that that waste of paper was of any significance to Ophelia, of course. But it was one of the most tedious works of the archangels Zadakiel and Raphiel themselves.

Librarians and other scribes flew up and over her, around and around, going about their endless tasks. Some of these people spent years in this library alone, cataloging, transcribing, repairing, and so much more. Sometimes, the frightening thought occurred that those tasks were the only things these angels ever did with their lives. Nothing but study, study, study.

And how was she to doubt that? Her blasted people had some meticulous, anal system of cataloging their texts that was so complicated and complex, it took someone who had been educated in that system their entire lives to even come close to understanding it. She wondered why things couldn't be organized in alphabetical order, or numerical order? It would make things so much simpler, really.

Thankfully, Ophelia was a smart cookie, and just got the concept of that blasted system right off the bat.

When at last she reached her destination, she floated down onto the marble floor and caught her balance with the help of the platinum guardrail so conveniently placed there. And just as conveniently, it was right outside of Azreal's main office.

Urgently, shakily, Ophelia knocked at the huge door and announced her arrival.

Almost instantly after, Azreal opened the door, ushered her inside and invited her to take a seat, not for a moment looking away from the leather-bound tome he was reading.

"Thank you so much for seeing me, my Lord Azreal. I have to say, I'm feeling exceptionally optimistic about things today!" she spoke around a great big smile.

For a split second, it looked like her eyes twitched and the broad smile looked almost frightening. That. Face.

"Well, well, you're looking especially optimistic, too. What did you eat?" he teacher joked as he placed a marker in his tome and took a seat, finally directing his attention on his guest.

"Well, I've only eaten bon-bons and amber cremes all day, and I haven't slept in a few days, given all my work, but I still feel terrific!" Cheerily, she threw her arms out beside her, which in turn made her teacher laugh.

"Ah, no wonder you're so jittery. Did you brush your hair this morning, or-"

"Nope!" came the wide-eyed reply as the younger angel stroked her frizzy curls. "Haven't had time to. What was it you wanted to speak to me about, Azreal?"

The archangel laced his fingers together and rested his chin on his knuckles, apparently watching her every little move and twitch. "You asked me about that small loan a few weeks ago, for the apartment in Silverwall, remember?"

"Oh I remember, and I did everything you asked me to do until then!"

An ivory brow rose over matching eyes. "And you asked your father?"

At last, Ophelia's features settled, and she seemed to shake less. "I did ask him, but he said he'd much rather me stay in Lostlight with my sisters and brothers, where it's safe. He thought it was silly of me to want to live alone and by the sea… but-"

Azreal brought up a hand to quiet her. "As long as you asked, that's fine. I had a feeling he would be reluctant, but don't worry, I'll speak to him. Firstly, I'd like to know why you wish to live in Silverwall, of all places. I mean, there's only about forty-four people there, it's on the very boarders of Heaven, not to mention the seasonal flooding and… Ah yes, the occasional Abyssal incursions that take place there." He cleared his throat. "The sea monsters... So, why there, so far from home, and why such a dangerous place?"

This time, the young woman blinked, albeit looking a bit drowsy. Her left eye twitched "Are you serious? What could possibly be better than living by the sea, in peace and solitaire? I want to live on my own, so I can have more quiet time once I have gotten all of my work done. I mean, after I get everything done at the Argent Spire and go home, there are still my brothers and sister who constantly choose to pester me about unimportant things, not to mention the fact Idella just loves to torment me as of late, and I keep getting closer and closer to strangling that girl…

"And I also would like to study some of the wildlife that washes up on those shores. Our people know more about our moons than we do our own oceans! It's… curious. But do you really think me helpless, Azreal? I consider you one of my most trusted and cherished friends; you know almost everything about me!-"

"Almost?"

"-So what makes you think that if I happen upon some alien creature of the sea, I would be incapable of at least escaping from the situation unscathed? I might be a lady, but that doesn't mean I'm as delicate as the rest of your female underlings. I think I can handle myself, much less some monster from the sea."

"Those "Monsters of the Sea," have taken out entire fleets of seasoned sailors, Ophelia."

"But never a full-time Scribe who knows how to use a spear!" the young woman rebuttaled proudly.

A flat look. "I didn't know you knew your way around a spear. Did your brothers, perhaps show you how to do that?"

Cockily, Opi leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, sporting a rather high brow. "One of the few things you have yet to learn about me, my friend."

She declared that last part as bluntly as her father would have, and with what can only be described as a "calm vice," as she could muster. And it did little more than tire her out even more.

"Ophelia, listen: you're a brilliant young lady, one of my finest students, but I would still worry about you living all on your own and so far away from your family. I understand that you aren't as tolerable of cramped spaces and large crowds, but the seaside? Really? Are you absolutely sure?" The Angel of Death asked.

Opi drew a long breath and let her head drop onto the desk, almost bonelessly. She sighed for what felt like years before speaking again.

"It's all I want. My Father doesn't understand, Azreal. I don't think anyone does, other than you and Marci, or Luden. I want to be on my own and taking care of myself, with only myself to worry about. I don't want to be bothered, and I don't want to be completely alone, I know that Ignatius lives in Silverwall, and he and Luke could show me how to properly care for and use a small boat. I have so many plans, and so many things I'd like to try. I just… I don't know…

"Am I being too selfish, Azreal?" she asked finally.

Ophelia felt the weight of Azreal's hand on her head, idly stroking her hair with his thumb. "I get it completely, and no, you're not being selfish. Looking out for your own interests isn't being selfish. You just want some peace and quiet. Work and studying doesn't necessarily count, either, and that's what I think Aboddon doesn't quite grasp. Like I said, I'll talk to him. As for the move itself, I'd love to help you, but a loan won't be necessary. I had a loft on the pier when I was living there, but I think Jophiel uses it as of late as one of her private studios. Go home, try to get some sleep, and you can ask her about it tomorrow evening. Come on, get up."

Languidly, Opi rose to her feet and stretched; arms, neck, and wings, and followed her teacher outside. His hand rested on her back, as if he feared she might fall backward, and he walked with her down the many stairs and through the expansive hallways until they both emerged on the outside steps.

"Go home and tell Aboddon I'd like to speak with him about our little arrangement. In the mean time, get some sleep and eat some actual food. No sweets, and furthermore: No. More. Tea. I know those caffeine eyes when I see them. Warm up some milk, or better yet, just drink water."

Already on her way, Opi made an agreeable sound and yawned immediately after. She took to the skies, lazily flying away, and decided that was that.

And so it was. All she even said when she arrived at her crowded little abode was, "Tell father Azreal wants to talk," and she flopped into her hammock.

She was snoring within seconds.

And _still_ she had work to do.

* * *

Again, Duleb stepped off of the platform and onto the searing sand, but this time, rather than emerging from the blasted and blackened realm of the Black Stone, she came from the biting, frost-bitten portal in Nergal. Even as she emerged, frost and bits of ice started melting from her brows. She left the city of Lebanon and entered into the city of Underground Lights, where her most frequent customer resided.

Not to mention, her most favorite customer. It would be nice to see Manol, after all that has happened today. The akuma had to trudge through the snow and ice on nothing but her bare feet, she lost all her rations to a family of robbers, almost lost the Night fringe for her next delivery, and then she was caught up in a blizzard, forcing her to hijack a Nebanese lancer's sleigh to get to the portal in time. That part was wildly entertaining, despite the certain consequences of being caught.

Of course, she started trouble, and of course, it was almost too close. In Nergal, any thief that ended up caught was strung up in the Morning Gallows for all to see.

Duleb stood in the doorway of Manol's estate, knocked nineteen times and waited. She listened as best as she could over the sounds of cacophonous laughter and conversation, sporadic street music, and animals hissing and screeching in the streets behind her. She didn't hear a loud room full of people from behind the closed door this time. Everyone must have fallen asleep- at last.

The small panel on the near top of the door slid open, and Duleb was greeted with a pair of bright amber eyes. At this point, there was no need to identify herself, Manol knew exactly who she was, and knew exactly what she was here for.

He opened the door about halfway and stood there for a moment, shirtless as usual. His ever-lax gaze looked her over from head to tail quietly and he paused, staring at her backward-bent legs.

"Where ya shoes at?" he asked nonchalantly.

She didn't answer straight away.

"Someone take 'em from ya?"

The Akuma nodded her head silently. Under the head wrap, she sighed, which was a horrible sensation considering how hot she already was.

The Sprite opened the door and nodded her inside. "Get in here, girl. I got somthin' foe ya." He raked his hair back and sniffed. "You hungry?"

"I could eat. Vulgrim also decided to be generous with you, this time. Since you no longer carry knotts. He's given you about a little more Nightfringe than you normally ordered for the same price as last time. Seems like he intends on firing up the wicket sometime soon"

When all of those loud women and sketchy men weren't here, this place was much nicer. As well as much cleaner, and Duleb told Manol as much.

"I like my home much better when it ain't all cluttered up. Now how much I owe you again, love?"

"About ninety three in gilt."

Duleb had started speaking to Manol much more in the years of late. As a usual customer, and since she was the only one of Vulgrim's he remotely trusted carrying his supplies, she got to see him very often, and since then, curiosity continued to get the better of her in those years.

Manol turned out to be a very interesting man. Duleb discovered that the reason for his constant meditation was for his anger issues revolving around his task as a dealer. (In all actuality, the only reason Manol sold drugs in the first place, was so he could afford to buy ice from Nergal on a weekly basis. Gotta water the plants somehow...) That, and it turned out that all of the women surrounding him were his "Appointed Wives", whom he was none too cheery to be around. However, Duleb had rather not heard all that, given the situations that followed and ended up in Manol's six year absence... He was a rather reclusive man, wishing to be alone so as to further himself in the art of becoming more spiritually close to his so called, "Goddesses." She thought he might have been inebriated at this time, speaking of goddesses and becoming one, and other gibberish.

So Duleb entered, through the small entryway and up the winding and weathered staircase leading to the top of the establishment, which proved to be Manol's private resting area for even these long years.

Duleb had visited this place of whimsy and study many times, as this was always the place Manol took care of his private business of map making and geological construct consultant. Well, that, and this is where he just preferred to spend all of his time.

It was the entire top floor of the building, about one-hundred-sixty paces across and just as wide. All one room, cluttered and dusty, however well maintained in its chaotic disarray. Normally, there would be chalk drawings all over the floor, melted wax gone hard after being let to chill for hours after having been burning for hours on end. He had multitudes of tall candle mountains, made from the melted remnants of other much older candles, all colorful and delicious smelling, some as tall as a regular book, and some, bigger.

Much bigger.

In the furthest corner of the room, there would be a huge pillar-and-arch type of structure covered by a huge dark sheet in the room, but this day, the sheet was nowhere in sight, and in its place: something extraordinary.

Duleb extended her left arm and pointed to it as she walked in, stopping behind the Sprite with perhaps the most shocked look of awe that she had ever made in all her life. "What _is_ that thing? I've never seen anything like it before. Did you _build_ that?"

Amber almond eyes widened where she looked, and Manol looked to have mentally shouted at himself. Hurriedly, he stomped over and reached for the sheet which must have been behind it this whole time and tried to cover up the structure again. His normally limp and flimsy-looking wings were now erect and sharp, twitching every other second. "Don worry 'bout that. Y' never saw a ting, understand, girl?"

Red palms waved about in front of her chest. Duleb had no idea that he would get defensive about that! She honestly thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and made it a point to tell him so. No, Manol wasn't all for her curiosity at first, but she begged him to tell her about it, prying for the knowledge since he had never really told her anything at all.

"Why should I tell you an'thing?" Manol had asked her upon her ferverous implements.

Duleb's exotic features twisted into an ugly scowl, the one she made whenever somebody stared at her for far too long; unnatural looking for her pretty face, but it quickly simmered into a cold-faced pout. "You should tell me because I cared enough to ask you, Manol."

Quiet, they were for a short time, and before Manol opened his mouth to speak again, she continued over him.

"I have seen you and known you and dealt with you for years, since I was still a child, and you have always been a mystery to me. You've never struck me, or called me out of name, or threatened me.

"I mean, who does that? Literally, there is no one soul I have met, other than you, and-" Her words trailed off with a sharp and sudden flush. "- who hasn't engaged with me in a manner of hostile intent. I respect you, Manol, as an individual, but I must know this. This is so… beautiful. I never expected this from you.

"And before you say anything, There are few people with such a sense of style and color and eccentricity when it comes to their private abodes! Mind I say, you, Sir, have a talent! It takes an artist to know an artist, and dare I say it, That- whatever it is,- has got to be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in all my life. I realize this now!"

She paused to draw a few breaths. Manol simply stood there, quiet as always, staring at the fingertip almost touching the tip of his nose. He could smell the leather of her gloved hands.

"I wasn't kidding, Manol. I just realized this, just now. You are an artistic mind, somehow. Damn it, of course you'd be an artistic mind, you're dealing in matters with science and technology on a regular basis. I've seen you and dealt with you and all your involvements in the Sophian-Nebonese weapons trade, as did Vulgrim. However, I can't say Iv'e ever sen you actually harm anybody, or do anything like what we see back home…"

As she spoke, somehow, she didn't quite realize she started pacing and making weird little movements with her head as she talked on. It was a wierd little quirk of hers, and she always would end up doing it when she got to talking.

Her finger returned to her side. "I won lie to yuh there, child. Science 'n technology is jus how this world of ours is getting by. It makes thins easier an more efficient. Right?" He grasped her finger in his fist and lowered it from his face. "My dear child, the only true technology, is nature. All other forms of technology are perversions. The ancient dictators used technology to enslave the masses, and here we are, somehow relying on technology to keep us protected from our Abyssal enemies?"

She watched the burning intensity of his ageless almond eyes, like he was trying to probe her mind somehow. However, he began to look more curious himself, rather than upset. Why was that? She wanted to ask, but she didn't want to look stupid. What he said, though, got her thinking: what in the dickens would make this man think technology was something so terrible? Of course, technology involved weapon of war and mass murder, but at the same time, it helped their peoples advance to a point where they could now protect themselves from Hell's legions!

But wait...

"What do you mean, enslave the masses, and all that about an, "ancient dictator?" I've never heard this term."

"Interesting... " He started, raking his snowy hair back out of his eyes. "O'course you wouldn't know nuthin' bout that, girl. Way before your time... P' haps you could learn… You ain't dat religious yourself, ain'tcha?" He brought his arm around her and leaned in real close, whispering, almost. "Lemme ask you a question, child: You enjoy da water? You like ta swim, huh?"

Duleb wet her lips and nodded, shifting her weight to her other foot. She felt herself grinning a little bit, but tried still to avoid looking too foolish, but what did religion have to do with anything?

"An I take it you a'ready know you an imaginative an intelligent mind, given you clearly a fellow artist." He muttered with a chuckle and a surprisingly handsome grin.

"Exceedingly so, Sir." Came the semi-sarcastic sounding reply.

"Den sit here an let me tell you a story about this planet, jus a lil while before you was born. Hell, before you was even thought of. But," At this point, he grabbed a hold of her shoulders and made sure that she was looking at nothing but the fiery eyes. "You gotta swear on your life dat no other ears will hear of this. Promise?"

Strangely enough, Manol offered up his pinkie finger, just a little thing Sprites do when engaged in an act of contract or secrecy. Duleb had never gotten the opportunity to preform such a strange little handshake, but she had seen it plenty of times.

So she reached forth and wrapped her pinkie around this, and he proceeded to tell her about his Green Goddess. And the world before the rise of Hell.

He told Duleb about a time when Akumas, Sprites, and Daccubi were free from their demonic overlords that currently ruled their realms. A time before this planet was taken over by the Dark Prince and his legions, turning everyone on this planet into either a worker, a slave, or a rouge.

But before that...

He said back before demons were present, and before the Charred Counsel had any involvement at all with the people here, there were temples for the Goddesses and Gods of Yggdrasil, Alvos and Autochthon all over. Upon invasion, every temple and every shrine was destroyed and replaced with the idea of a single Creator, who seemingly left the entities known as the Charred Counsel in charge. Yeah, right. The native peoples here didn't want to forsake their Gods and Goddesses or their religion in general, but the legions of Hell were very insistent. And persistent.

But mostly, they were brutal. Especially if there was any resistance.

Manol followed some strange and intriguing religion that Duleb had never heard of. It was beautiful and spiritual, in a way. He told of a time where there were giants among them, beautiful and powerful in their Exalted might, and they were once the great leaders of their land. But, tragedy struck when their planet was invaded from afar, invaded by Hell and it's mighty legions of brutes and beasts. The Exalted were not prepared for the horrors Hell had unleashed. All of those great entities had been slaughtered, but their stories remained. There was the Sisters of the Sun, Lunar Republic, The Oracles, and the Plaque Banishers.

Some of these effigies were beautiful; Manol worshiped a giant green goddess with twelve arms and eight eyes. He briefly showed her his alter, as well as his handmade shrine he built from stained glass and an array of exotic potted plants. His grandfather had one, he said, that was almost three stories high. Plants along the shrine and in the presence of the shrine were said to be given the power to heal once consumed. The stained glass is to capture the light and funnel it into the shrine itself. Manol said if she ever happened to see his shrine by nightfall, you would be surprised to find that it glowed with its own crystalline light, seemingly on its own accord.

Of course, she'd have to see that herself.

The Goddess of Life he worshiped most was Isis of Yggdrasil, the goddess of fertility, life, light, and childbirth, an earth deity made of green wax with a gorgeous crown of flowers and thorns. She looked to have long pink hair and more eyes than Duleb had ever seen, more arms than a woman should have. In the palm of each hand was a golden glyph and in the center of the belly where Her naval was, was a giant magenta colored quartz of some type.

It was a secret shrine, one that nobody else was to know about, or else there would be serious consequences. Duleb didn't understand why his religion was deemed unacceptable, given that any and all Hell controlled planets had very little religious policies, but he couldn't worship in public and even private worship was still frowned upon. In fact, the last time someone tried to open their shrine to the public and _someone else_ found out about it, Legion Soldiers showed up soon after. They were civil, as far as bloodshed went, but in every other retrospect, they were just awful.

All because of a Alvos shrine and the promise of a light show.

Demons are the worst, just the worst things that the Creator ever blew breath into...

* * *

The morning was still dark when Ophelia awoke and began to get dressed. Now was the time that everybody was getting up because in seven days would be the day of Equinox; when the sun and the moon literally shared the sky, and at this time, everybody was running around doing things to prepare. There was to be a great ritual prayer preformed before sunrise, and _everyone_ in Hampchester's Square was to be there. There was to be a huge gathering later on in the White City, and the day was to be one of honor, festivities, and blithe throughout the First Kingdom. Ophelia was excited, because Aboddon said she could go with Rose and Azreal to help organize and plan out the evening's events.

Still in her nightclothes and still nearly sleeping, Ophelia stepped out into the hallway and proceeded to make her quest to Talia's room. Luden was already up and dressed, sitting on the edge of his desk in his room. He was fussing over the collar of his military uniform. And that was just the stuff he had to wear beneath his armor. The actual armor. Opi had tried to lift it and found it quite a try. She certainly couldn't imagine a person having to wear that all over their _bodies_.

"Morning Opi." He addressed her in a hushed voice. "Nina got in her room again, just so you know. Did you hear her come in through the window last night?"

Leaning on the golden panel of the door, Ophelia giggled. "Yeah, I heard her. I almost thought she was going to break though the glass. How did she get in, did you and father-"

"Oh, yes, yes, yes, we did. Nina didn't break anything, actually. Damn animal unlocked the balcony door from the outside." He finished. When at last he had gotten his collar straight, he stood for a moment to admire himself. He looked like he had preened himself the night before. He had a clean, even look about him. Every single feather practically glittered with the severity of whatever care was given. Ophelia still sported her curly feathers and fluffy underfeathers. Even after all these years, sh had not yet gown into her adult wings.

"You're looking very pretty," she admonished, crossing her arms over her chest. The look her brother gave her made her want to laugh, but given her loud laugh, she decided it would be best not to be so terribly loud in the morning.

"I recall the correct term being handsome, dear sister." Luden retorted in mocking manner. "Don't you have a baby to get up?"

"Talia isn't a baby," Opi firmly planted her fists on her hips and flashed four fingers up at him. "She's four."

"I know how old she is, and I know how old you are. And in case you didn't already know, I know how old I am. Hurry up now, I have things to do to get ready, and so do you. Look at you, you aren't even dressed! Go on and get her up and ready."

As he stepped out of the door to head toward the stairs, she delivered a prompt slap to his arm. He did nothing about it, save for a dismissive wave of his other hand and a rolling of his eyes. So, with all that said and done, Opi made her way down to her sister's room.

From this point in their home, about the size of some great castle, but nowhere near as large as most of White City's architecture, it would be almost a twenty minute walk to her sister's room from her own. And in her own home, no less! The very hallway seemed to be almost a mile long! Why did they need to have such a large home?! To what end did that possibly serve?!

Talia had a strange door to her room, one hat seemed to be like a door cut in half. The top part and the bottom part both opened freely, but one of those doors would always be locked, and whenever anyone tried to open the door and push it inside, they ended up bonking themselves on the forehead. Or worse, falling face first onto the floor after a gut strike from a locked bottom door. Aboddon ordered the door be replaced by the end of this following week. So Opi wasn't the only victim.

_Who even made that door? Why? Why do we need half-doors?_

She tugged at the handle, to which the door was very polite as to not be locked for her, and she tiptoed inside. Out of respect, she closed the door behind her.

Talia's room was little more than a pigsty. Toys and papers were all over the floor, her clothes from the day before were still at the foot of her little bed. For some reason, there were leaves inside, also on the floor and some in her bed. Brown and white feathers also littered the floor, along with more familiar fluffy ivory tufts of fuzz. Paint stains could be seen here and there on the carpets, and walls, and bed frame. And were there hand prints on the ceiling?

_Okay, I don't even want to _know_ how that happened..._

Ophelia cautiously stepped over all of the nonsense and sat herself on the edge of the bed. Her sister's back was to her, but Nina's muzzle wasn't. Talia had an arm wrapped over her griffon's back, and the beast had curled all around her person. Opi and Nina had a pretty decent relationship. Opi wa allowed to get Tali up and ready for the day without getting nipped at of hissed at. Opi could even pet Nina, when the animal wanted her to.

She stroked Nina for a good while, talking quietly in an attempt to ease her sister out of sleep. Talia, though hyper active and defiant prone, could be reasoned with. She just had to be made to think that the idea of getting up was an attractive one.

"Come on Talia, time to wake up. Father says you and Nina will have the yard all to yourself today when you came back from the kindergarten, today!~ But, you've gotta get up first, and go to school, like a good girl." Opi said as she took the covers from her shoulders. She gave her a little shake and whispered some more. "Come on,~ Talia, don't you want to see any of your friends today?"

"All my friends are stupid." Talia groaned in that tiny little voice of hers. "They're mean to all the animals, especially the squirrels. I tried to tell on them, but teacher only said to leave the beasts alone! She called them beasts!"

"Do you know what a beast is?" The platinum haired youth said as she threw her covers from off of her and stood up on her bed, stretching herself as far as she could go. Nina mirrored her, arching her back and yawning hugely.

Opi gave her a mockingly puzzled look. "Umm, beasts are monsters?"

"THEY'RE MONSTERS!" Tali shouted, throwing her arms up over her head. "If the teacher can go and call a bunch of squirrels monsters, how will they know not to hurt them?! If I go back and just let it happen, like father said to do, I'll be an abomination! Animals never forget that kind of cowardice and betrayal! Never."

Opi nodded her head and lifted Talia from the bed, carrying the child with her over to the closet. She helped her sister to undress and tried to explain the fact that their people were a tad bit arrogant,thinking that they were superior to the living things that helped to make up their world. She tried to explain the fact that because they can think and talk and fight and speak, we are far more important that some little squirrel, or griffon or any other animal. Plants and animals were beneath the likes of the Creator's Chosen, and were to be treated as so.

Now, to an angel like Ophelia, this was an opportunity to plant a seed for her sister to help grow and flower for later on in life. This was a chance for her to try and get her little Talia to understand why she should treat animals and plants and parts of the earth like she would treat another person. Opi had that kind of hope that if she taught her right, in spite of how people were, she could contribute to Talia by teaching her valuable life lessons.

"I know, those people are so cruel sometimes, but, I'll tell you what," Opi waggled a finger at her as she began wrapping her shirt around her sister. "They're not all bad. Remember that. You can have as many enemies as the Prince of Lies, but as long as you have that one friend, the one who loves you no matter what, it'll be all you'll ever need. I can promise you that."

Ophelia brought the final ties in her shirt to her chest and began tucking them in. All she wore as small clothes were a pair of white shorts. While Ophelia stood up to peer in the closet for a nice dress to wear, Talia rubbed at her nose. Golden eyes flecked from her big sister to the dresses she was looking at, to her bedroom behind her, and to the griffon at the door.

"Opi, do you have a friend like that?" Talia asked, pulling her long hair over her shoulder. She had a bad habit of playing with her hair.

She didn't face her. "I do."

"Who is it?"

Ophelia found herself smiling. She took a deep breath and laughed, one small laugh. When she looked at her again, she was smiling, like she was about to learn some huge wonderful trick that would possibly dazzle her. But she wasn't.

"Why you, my sweet baby sister. You and Luden, Marci, Verdell, and Chamillo. You are all I will ever need, here."

She found a nice set of robes and skirts that looked much like a color resembling a redwood. It was all dark and brickish, like how a tree would look like it were blushing. Talia liked wearing things like those. She prefer to wear trousers and boots, but she was far too young for that sort of look. She was a child of the light; she was to look innocent and pure in her colorful and flowing childish robes, not parading around in button shirts and trousers.

But she liked them. So Opi let her parade around the garden in her shirts and pants. But only when father wasn't home.

"Opi, do you think I could have a friend that loves me very much, too?" Talia asked.

Laughter again. "You already do, silly. Nina is your friend, and she does love you very much, right?"

This time, it was the silver eyed youth that laughed, a typical little laugh of hers. "Yeah. She never bites at me or hisses. She eats all the food I won't eat, too! She's the best!"

Opi began wrapping her robes around her sister's tiny torso, and she in turn started pulling her skirts up her legs. "But she'll bite others."

"Yeah, Father hates it. But he's never gotten too angry with her. Only Idella has." Talia rubbed her eye with one knuckle while Opi moved to her back, fastening the buttons and clasps near her wings, pulling her clothes shut at last. Now all she needed was her stockings and shoes, and she was set.

"Alright, now that you're all dressed, go and get your teeth clean, bed made, hair brushed, and out into the garden for some fresh air before breakfast, alright?"

"Alright. Can Nina and I go down the street to the well?" the child asked as she ran on over to her drawers, grabbing her brush and hair ties.

"Later today, not right at this time."

Since Ophelia wasn't one of the warrior children, she was tasked with taking care of the smaller children in the family. Being the middle child of eight, she was the designated Talia's "Parental Figure" whenever Aboddon, or any of the older children weren't around, and she hated it sometimes. She loved her sister something fierce, but she was never too quick to get excited about spending the rest of the evening taking care of her and keeping watch for her to inevitably destroy something or another.

Oh well. Today was going to be easy. All she had to do was get her ready in the morning, and that was it. Luden had her for the rest of the day. Opi thought it would be a great day to go and meet up with her friend.

Now that Ophelia was getting older and having to deal with more responsibilities, her visits with Duleb have been fewer and fewer in between. They went from seeing each other every afternoon to only once or twice a week. It was the worst possible things for Ophelia, considering Duleb had to have been one of her most favorite people. When you love something, don't you ever feel like you want to have it around all the time?

Well, at least this time, she'd have a few special things from the festivals and parades to show to her. Duleb would love all the trinkets and jewelry she would have brought back to her. Now that she thought about it, she was excited for all of this! Planning the parades, the fair, the festivities! From the Grand Waltz, to the musical performances, and afterwards, a great feast was to be held in honor of this passing year, and the coming of the new one. Everybody would be there, all under one roof, if things went as planned, although a handful of people will return to their homes after a majority of the fun. Opi heard it was so that they could each spend quality time with their own families. She hoped it were so.

But, she was even more excited about meeting Uriel for the first time! She was going to be at the feast with father. Oh yes, that was going to happen. After all the years of waiting and asking Luden about her, she would finally meet her in person. Not being a warrior of any kind, Ophelia had never gotten a chance to meet any of her father's few friends. In all her life, the only Angel of a great deal of importance was Michael, but Ophelia was so young then, hardly even at the flying age. Even still, she remembered being awed at Michael's size this aura of strength and courage. And even then, Michael seemed like such a wonderful man, he had such a laugh and such a smile when he spoke with her father.

He had such an _accent_.

She went on back up to her room and closed the door behind her. She strode on over to the white hardwood vanity and pulled her gloves out of the top drawer. She tugged on the white silk gloves that were always clean and prepped for her to wear. She didn't feel the need to wear those gloves while drawing, though. She pulled the gloves up to her wrists, and brushed her curls, shaping them the way she liked. She had to make sure she looked absolutely perfect, lest Aboddon scold her for it.

After a quick run through with her trusty brush, all seemed well.

Ophelia had the curliest hair of any angel in all of Heaven, according to her father. She had the springiest set of curls anyone had ever set eyes on, and since she was born, it had been more or less her trademark, not to say that was necessarily a good thing. She hated her curls. Lots of people who happened to be superstitious were leery of her, convinced that an angel born with ringlets- or curls of any kind- would be bad luck and trouble prone. Muck like that Eris. Duleb loved how curly her hair was, since not many demons possessed such a trait as that. Quite often, Ophelia would catch the demon twirling a single curl in her fingers, marveling at the feeling and shape of her hair. It made the angel wonder sometimes, how funny.

Sometimes, Opi would catch her companion staring at her, not the hungry gaze of a potential predator, but something else entirely. There was a longing there, Ophelia could tell that much. Like how a boy would sometimes stare at a fellow sister, or an older maiden whom they thought beautiful. Like how many younger boys looked at Uriel.

Immediately, the angel's cheeks reddened. Was it that Duleb thought her beautiful? Was there some kind of desire there? Nobody had ever noticed Ophelia like that before, like she was at all attractive in any way, other than pretty and clever. If Duleb was to think of her as desirable-

_What are you thinking?! This is Duleb you're talking about! She you're friend! So far, you're best friend. She could never... she..._

_\- Waitaminute -_

She shook her head in an attempt to expel the idea from her mind, and decided that was going to be the end of that. Anymore thought on that particular subject and her heart might have burst from her chest. The last thing she wanted was to get all excited...

Now, time to get dressed! What did Father say the colors were this year?

* * *

The deep green of Ophelia's silken gown stood out in stark relief against all of the blue and gold and white. It's hem brushed the ground as her slippered feet skipped up the stairs into the Argent Spire. It was a long, pine green silk dress, falling flat and flowing, capped at the shoulders and cinched at the waist by a pink and silver braided cord. Beneath the green silk was a cream white blouse with long, drooping angel-sleeves that fell to her fingertips. The silk itself was embroidered with little gold images of trees and flowers and birds, and for once, the young angel carried herself with an air of quiet confidence.

Actually, Opi felt great! Nobody fought with her and no one yelled at her. Oh, it was a lovely thing to feel this way, Ophelia thought. Everybody seemed to be smiling when she smiled at them. Her father said nothing more than a sullen, "good morning," and resumed his normal routine. Opi helped Talia with brushing her hair, and Nina was fed and put in the garden before she left. In Aboddon's household, last person to leave the house was responsible for putting the pet outside. However, Talia was here with Nina, sooo~...

Ophelia looked down at her slippers as she walked. Normally, green colors, as well as gold, silver, and ivory were all that was supposed to be worn during celebrations like these, but this year, the color was changed from green to blue, to commemorate the coming of the Blue Autumn Moon. The first time in one-hundred years that the moon was to be a beautiful lightning blue on the same day of the Equinox, and would fill up a great portion of the sky.

It happened once in a blue moon.

_(This is where we all laugh)_

Ophelia felt that she looked wonderful in this green dress. Green was most certainly not her color, but she knew it looked good on her nevertheless. Rose thought so, too. She met up with her older friend on the way to the Argent Spire, who had for once in a long while, had done her hair up all nice, pressed her creme colored silks, and had her nails buffed. She looked simple, but elegant, which was nice, because Ophelia had always thought Rose was such a gorgeous woman. She should make more time for herself like this more often.

"You do realize we're wearing blue this year, right? I thought you must have heard..." Rose asked her on their way up to meet Azreal.

"I'm quite aware. But today is more of a green day for me. Besides, it still looks nice, does it not?"

This confident demeanor was very different than what Rose was used to. Azreal's second oldest, being more down-to-earth, timid, and reserved than most, found much comfort in Ophelia's similar personality, and took to her very quickly when the child was still very small. They grew up together, so to speak. In fact, Rose adored her little companion so much, she offered to be her flat-mate when Ophelia was old enough to leave her custodian. Although Ophelia was more than quiet, often times mute, the elder still aspired to make things work between them. Besides, Rose had always wanted a little sister.

"It looks wonderful, honest." A tiny snicker. "Whenever did you become so confident?"

A great big smile. "When I started thinking about how silly I used to be; always shrinking away from the crowds, always biting my tongue. I understand how Big Brother Luden feels now. It feels nice to be outspoken and noticed. But of course, you already knew that."

Rose delivered a playful shove. "Luden has a right to be outspoken."

"And I don't?"

Ophelia had to take note the face Rose was making when she said that. It looked funny, like she wanted to laugh, but couldn't bring herself to do so. The bittersweet smile after the playful giggle betrayed that whole thing. Honestly, things like pride were sort of frowned upon in the White City, and she thought that the last person to be prideful was little Ophelia. Those few who were so smitten to blatantly display their narcissistic behavior were quietly frowned upon, but most of those people had every right to be so confident.

She would say nothing of it, though. Ophelia was happy, and it filled Rose's heart with joy to know that her sister was so cheerful and pleased with herself. In all actuality, she assumed this sudden change to be for the better. After all, with a mind like hers, and this new "go get 'em" attitude, she might just end up a very decorated Archon, just like she and Azreal had hoped she would be.

Since Ophelia was very young, she always displayed an interest in knowing why things happened. She would always make notes and ask in private how things were and how they came to be. She also had a special interest in archaeology and geological discovery, but that was another story for another time. She was always curious, as was any child, but now she was all that on fire. Not only did she have the desire to know how things were what they were, but she always wanted to know why. She asked why a whole lot more as of late.

It was never really said out loud, since Ophelia looked to be doing so well with herself, but pride, intellect, and _why _were considered a troublesome combination in the White City.

"Is Azreal still in his study?" Ophelia asked as she and her friend began to scale the numerous staircases.

"I believe so. He said he would wait for you and I to arrive before he went off. He seemed excited to see you, especially after what happened last week, with Idella."

"I thought nobody told him!" Ophelia chirped, unable to conceal her great big grin. "Did Idella whine to him?"

Rose's Raven black hair fell over her shoulders as she started nodding. "Uh huh. She had quite the fit about you getting her in trouble. I heard her all the way in the tome hall!"

At that tidbit of news, Opi found herself shaking her head. She smiled spitefully and crossed her arms. " What a pig-headed brat..." she murmured.

Rose quickly smacked the child's arm with a scoff. "Don't say things like that! How terribly rude of you!"

"The truth was never intended to be a polite thing, Miss Rose. As a matter of fact, it happens to be the very thing that gets most people down. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It's all heartbreaking and rude, but apparently it's one of our best policies. Everyone else is thinking these things, I'm just saying it out loud. If she can't handle the truth of the matter, maybe she should do something to change that." Ophelia held her hands behind her back as she walked. "We all know that Idella is a bully, I'm just saying something in hopes someone will actually straighten up and do something about her behavior, or she realizes the error of her ways herself. I love her to death, she is my big sister, after all. But just because I love her, doesn't mean I have to like the person she is."

Wise words for somebody still so young. With a deep thought, Rose realized that Ophelia had a very strong point. Idella had always possessed a rotten attitude, some would say caused by her red hair. (Angels and their superstitions...) Nevertheless, it was good of Ophelia to stand up for her brothers and sisters. She just hoped that Idella had learned her lesson, for Ophelia's sake.

After what seemed like hours of walking through flights of stairs and corridors, both girls finally managed to make it to Azreal's private study. The ivory white walls and sunny windows greeted the girls as they strode on in, being enveloped by the sweet smells of open air and inscents. Dappled sunlight criss-crossed on the marble white floor in colorful patterns, making pretty shapes along the steel grey and blue rugged floors. Huge bookshelves crammed full of leather-bound tomes lined nearly every wall, save the far wall which was nothing but a huge white pained window that let out to a grand balcony. It could have been marble or granite or metal, but she knew whatever that white panning was was far stronger than any of those things. That balcony was where Azreal and Raphiel would chart the movements of the stars and the sun every few weeks or so.

Seated at the dark oak desk in the center of the tiny library, was the archangel himself, looking peaceful and relaxed as always. Or at least, that was how he always looked to his students. Sometimes, Opi thought he looked a little sad. But they still had never imagined they would see him looking any way but content.

"Good morning, girls," his elegant voice greeted them with a polite smile. "My Rose, Ophelia. It's nice to have you both here to help me this morning."

"Hellooo~!" Ophelia singsonged rather unceremoniously, inviting herself to Azreal's side, gently hugging her favorite scholar in the whole wide world. She was almost too tall to properly hug him, mostly smothering him with her belly, but Rose's hug was just the same. Oh well, all she cared about was her hug for Azreal. (Hardly would he hug _any_ of his other students, particularly the young girls. Only his daughters. Ophelia thought for the longest time that Azreal was frightened of girls...)

The archangel smiled and moved some stacks of paper across his desk. "I can see you all are eager to get things started. You two arrived much earlier than I had anticipated."

"Miss Rose suggested the other night that we arrive early," Ophelia started on her way back around Azreal's desk and elbowing her companion. "She was excited to help. I, on the other hand, would have enjoyed more sleep, but when duty calls, we answer, right?"

The youngest grinned as she watched a bright smile broadened her friend's cheeks when Azreal asked her to help him gather the checklist for the night's events. After knowing Rose for so long, Ophelia had figured that she had a special relationship with her father that was a little less than what was socially acceptable, but with Rose being extremely close in rank and standing to her father, so interaction there was as free as free could be for an Angel.

Deep down, it filled Opi's little heart with envy. Hell, he even called her his Rose! _His Rose!_

Elegant wings flexed as the angel stood. He wasn't as ostentatious as he normally was, in his impossibly long and flamboyant robes. Instead, he wore a simple white robe, embroidered with turquoise, silver and gold designs of suns and flowers. (Pretty fancy, if you asked Opi.) It was cinched at the midriff with darker indigo and gold thread. Beneath even that, he looked to have worn simple white boots of supple leather. He didn't normally ever wear white, blues and oranges being his most favorable colors, but this white attire of his was rather refreshing.

"You see Rose, you needn't worry about this year's color scheme. Azreal is even wearing his dresses today, so I can wear green today." Ophelia announced with a keen grin.

Azreal inhaled sharply through his nose and pointed a finger at Opi's smug grin. "Robes, my child. They're robes."

While Rose rolled her eyes, Azreal smiled. Serenely, he turned to look out the window, watching the doves soar in the updraft, along with a few angels here and there. The Angel of Death watched them all, and Ophelia silently admired him. Azreal seemed almost always quiet to her, save when he was lecturing, then he got exciting. He tended to make learning new things fun for the children. He seemed to make everything more interesting.

"By the way, Azreal," Ophelia chirped as she wiggled in her seat. "I managed to finish up that summary on cyrokinetic physics and distortion," She picked at the buttons on her blouse above the breast of the green silk. She just realized how low the neckline plunged. "I think it's long enough now, you might think I actually put some effort into it!"

Wink.

Those last words came with a cheeky grin and a giggle. Azreal himself laughed. Normally it was Luden and Chamillo that joked about never completing their work. It was different when Ophelia joked about slacking off. Nevertheless, it was an attempt at some kind of socialization, and for that alone, Azreal humored her.

"Perhaps then you could bring the entire paper to my office tonight after the festivities?" The Angel of Death asked as he grabbed at some more papers about the surface of his desk. He found himself laughing at her saucy smirk and a sarcastic, if not bemused stare.

"I take that as a yes."

A gloved finger shot up from below the edge of the desk. Azreal was slipping some papers into a drawer. "What fun would it be to hand it in to you so early? You'll just give me another assignment to occupy my time, and then I'll have that to get over and done with, with no time to myself! No thank you, my Lord. I'll hand it in when it's due. In the mean time, all I have to worry about are taking notes on your lectures."

Ophelia gave a bright and toothy grin upon seeing Azreal's deadpan reaction to her blatant refusal to turn in her work early, despite her known habit to do so. Now all of the sudden, she wanted more time to herself. The elder looked to the sister, who simply shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips shut.

"Well than I suppose we should all go and begin making our lists then, shall we?" The Angel of Death spoke softly as he arose from his chair, hands returning to. "Let's at least get started before the first morning bell sounds. Ladies, let's hear some ideas. What's for supper tonight?"

* * *

Ophelia clutched her gloved hands tightly in her lap. The square was absolutely filled with people, thousands of faces, thousands of people who all somehow looked the same. The festivities haven't even started yet, and already Ophelia's anxiety was threatening to overwhelm her. She spent so much time getting her lists ready, sending her flights of angels to go and perform tasks, get things ready, thinking about what she was going to do to talk to people and try to make some new friends, but she forgot about how terrifying it was to be at the center of all the attention.

Well, more importantly, she forgot that she would be sitting up on the dais with the rest of her family. And the commanding generals. And Aboddon.

God dammit.

Opi tried to focus on the gloves in her lap, tried to force out the sounds of all the cacophonous conversation and activities. Instead, she attempted to listen to the trumpets blaring, announcing the arrival of their archangels. She also tried to listen in on what Idella and Luden were talking about. Something about seeing Chamuel? speaking with Chamuel? She couldn't exactly make out all the words correctly, given all this noise...

Normally, it would be Aboddon seated at the far right side of the Grand Dias with his all-warrior cluster, proudly displaying the soon-to-be leaders of Heaven's mightiest factions, but this year, there was a scribe up there with him. Yes, Aboddon was perhaps the greatest soldier the White City ever produced, but that didn't make the sight of one of his children being a scribe any less embarrassing. In fact, scribes were hardly the most popular people when it came to these sorts of social gatherings. In fact, the only reason Ophelia was even sitting up there with everybody was because she was Aboddon's daughter, and he was the best.

The more she thought about that fact, the smaller and smaller she felt. Suddenly, she thought of what all those people might be thinking, seeing a scribe sitting amongst Aboddon's mighty cluster with the brutal Idella, the impossibly strong Luden, and the calculating assassin everyone knew Marci was. Opi was just a scribe.

Just a weak, pitiful scribe. Perhaps a mistake, being a part of the Great Aboddon's family.

She suddenly thought about what all those people down there might be thinking, seeing a non-warrior angel up there with the great and powerful Aboddon. What a shameless display! Perhaps they were mocking her, maybe the laughter in the crowd was directed at her!

She glanced up from her gown and looked into the crowd, only for a second, and there... looking right at her... clad in their blocky golden armor, contemptible faces smiling, laughing. Laughing at her. She could almost hear them as if they were right in front of her. Almost instantly, panic began to smother her. She looked this way and that, and still it seemed like everyone was looking at her, saying something about her, something awful, like what a defective child she was. Her hands shook. A few seats away from her, Luden and Aboddon started laughing, spooking her even worse.

It was all just so much, so many negative thoughts and emotions, all the attention, no place to run and hide. The laughter was everywhere, all at once. She was all alone, all alone in a crowd of thousands. Nobody would care, but at the same time everybody does. Tears threatened to fall from from her eyes, she wished she could just fly away, far away to the only place she knew she'd be even the slightest bit safe-

_No! It's okay! You're okay! These people can't get into your head, you're safe here. Take a moment to collect yourself, find yourself, ask yourself, is this how we fall apart? No, it's not. I'm right here_...

Duleb's exotic accent suddenly filled the young angel's mind, her spirit, her ears. It felt like she was right there with her. The surprise of it nearly took her breath away, and with it, the anxiety. The sounds around her didn't seem to matter anymore. Ophelia quickly replaced the fear of what everyone else was thinking with the warmth of Duleb's presence. Although her friend was worlds away, she felt that she was there in her heart, in her spirit. And she felt safe.

_Cheer up, love! Put on that smile of yours and everything will be just fine_.

Ophelia drew in a long breath, and exhaled slowly. She repeated that process about six or seven times before finally collecting herself. As the rest of them did, she stood to greet her Archangels as they appeared on the steps to the dais one at a time. Raphiel, Azreal, Chamuel, Zadakiel, Jophiel, and Michael. Michael stood taller than almost every other angel there, save dear Jophiel. All were dressed in what looked like their finest robes and armor, every one of them looked just as regal as the highest of angels should have.

Michael smiled so brightly. He had a stern face that looked somehow different when he smiled, like a different person, almost. Raphiel took his seat next to his wife, who still towered over everyone, even as she sat in the ivory hued hardwood chairs, same size as everyone else's. Good gracious, Jophiel was tall... Chamuel, Gabriel and Zadakiel were chatting, as they usually were, and Azreal sat quietly at the closest side to Aboddon and Uriel.

Peering over, Opi caught his gaze, and she smiled at him. Michael, who had been sitting beside Azreal, must have thought that the smile was for him, and he smiled even bigger. He rudely leaned over Azreal's lap and called over to her, "Quite a crowd this morning, eh Opi?"

Oh sweet mother of Creation, Michael remembered her name! And he spoke to her! Over her scholar's lap! In front of everybody! His accent made Ophelia laugh, but she tried not to be disrespectful.

"Yes, it seems as though everyone decided to show up. Everyone seems really excited for your introduction for the prayers today!" she called back. She hoped she wasn't smiling too much, or too hard.

Michael stood up and picked his chair up from its place, huge wings stretching and he strode over, tapping the top of Azreal's head and clapping Zadakiel real hard on the back. He asked for Idella to scoot her seat over, to which she almost looked to have died where she stood, moving her seat so Michael could sit next to...

_Oh. My. Goodness..._

The elder sat back in his seat with a loud _whump!_ He sat very close, and Ophelia felt for a moment that her personal space may be compromised. Michael put one of his huge arms around her, pulled her close to his face and spoke softly enough for only her ears to hear. "I'm glad you're here, Opi. You're old man hasn't been talking about you at all, I had to ask him about you the other day. You, uh," he paused a second and waved to some group of people in the crowd before continuing. "You looked a little upset before I came up here. I'm not asking you to tell me anything you won't want to, nuthin' like that, love, but I want you to know that I'm so happy you're here with us today."

All she could do was nod slowly and dumbly at first. All she could focus on were those azure blue eyes. His eyes that did very little to lead her to believe he was lying. His smile, the very way he sat and the little movements he made, seemed honest enough, but Aboddon had said he was also, "Proud to have her present, given her academic achievements," but really, he looked irritated at having to bring her along. Ophelia smiled still, giving a silent and deep nod of thanks, but she still wondered...

"Why?" finally asked. "Not to sound ungrateful, but You are... well, you're you! Michael, Heir of the White Nation. Aren't you just like every other Warrior Angel? Above the likes of a lowly scribe like myself?"

Blonde hair as straight as a board fell in drooping wisps over the heavily armored shoulders as the archangel leaned forward, almost as if he was trying to get a better look at her face. He looked surprised, in all actuality, but at the same time, it looked like what she said seemed to have played on some heartstrings she didn't know the warrior prince had. Immediately, she regret having asked why he even cared.

"I may be some kind of big deal here, but I've seen you, watched you grow up just like every other child in this place. You may not be able to lift a hammer and anvil, but you could throw a man twice your size. You have brothers, and I've seen 'em messin' with you all the time!. Hell, I'll bet you one of these days, you could spar with your own father. Little girl, little girl; keep on surprising us, little girl."

He winked and again, he rose up and grabbed his chair. He went back to his spot at the center of the dais and sat again for a few minutes, speaking with Raphiel, Jopiel, Uriel. And then he stood.

With a deep breath, he raised both of his hands, palms facing the crowds, instantly silencing all of the commotion. His eyes slowly closed, and one after the next, the neighboring archangels and their families rose, mirroring their Prince. As her father did, Ophelia stood from her seat and raised her hands to the sky, closing her eyes and expelling another breath of impatience. Finally, the blessings would begin.

In her head, she prayed. She prayed That with this coming year would be even more discoveries for her to make, and things for her to master. She would not be a simple scribe for the rest of her life, but rather a powerful Celestial Sage. Magic came easily to her though, and she believed that with enough schooling and apprenticeships, she could learn. Maybe even learn from one of the Greats themselves...

Michael's voice suddenly began to sound from seemingly all angles. "Brothers, Sisters, My family; join me now as we welcome the coming year. With open hearts and open minds, I ask you all to join me in prayer. We thank our Creator, our benevolent and all-knowing almighty for this past year of peace and prosperity-"

And so it all began...

* * *

The parades went off without a hitch, and for the entire day, everything seemed peachy, but as soon as the final blessing was passed, everyone went on back to work. Back to work, more like _right_ to work. Every angel who had some sort of duty to preform went off immediately after and that was the end of it. Honestly, Ophelia would have preferred the festivities continue for the rest of the day, at least until sundown.

Oh well, there was little that she could do to change the way things were. Right to work; an angel worthy of respect completed their tasks before taking any real care of their own needs or wants. It was just how Heaven worked. Mind, law, discipline. These were their heroic ideals. That was their way of life.

So was the way of the angels, and as of now, there was a task to be completed, and that task was cataloging. Opi still had to catalouge all of these tomes, at least seventy, but who was counting? Then, after that, she was to go home and take care of her other little chores: Bring Nina and Talia in and get them both cleaned up, feed them both, tend to the garden, bring down the linens and give them to Marci to be put away, clean the dining room, wash the dishes after supper... and perhaps she could run away and get to her secret companion if she got that all done before it was too too late.

Oh, geez. This was gonna be hard. Talia was going to be a pain to bring inside, having been more-than-excited about the parades and the prayers going on all day, and this was her very first time having been part of any of it. Going on three years old, she was still new to all of that stuff, and if you know anything about children, you'd know hyperactivity and "Time to come inside," are a nasty combination. Ophelia knew if she couldn't get Talia inside, Nina was going to be even worse.

Nina was a house griffon, a completely different breed apart from the huge and hard beasts the angels boasted on the battlefield. Nina was an Applegrove Griffon, a griffon more adept to live around the house rather than outside, and as far as Aboddon's family was concerned, Nina was part of the family, Talia's most favorite creature in the whole of Heaven.

And Talia was Nina's baby. Aboddon couldn't scold that child one bit without getting nipped at by that beast, and everyone who knew or lived with that child knew that no matter what she did, there would be no real punishment, save for a loss of a privelige, or the loss of a toy, since any other type of punishment would end up in Nina being put outside for the rest of the week, and whenever that happened, Talia got evil.

Like, _evil _evil.

Oh well, after all of this, maybe Talia will be tired enough to listen, for once. Hopefully, Luden is with her, having her try some trick or go on some mission in the garden that would wear her out. Having forgotten her place, Ophelia looked down at the graven tablet in the crook of her arm._ Lebonon and Jordan: The great Twin Generals._ She placed the tablet on the dark shelf before her and with a single flex of her wings shot up overhead. These next few tomes in her quarry were about these two generals, blood twins, and their achievements.

To think, these two had some scribe following them around for ages, recording everything they were doing. A Shadow Writer, so to speak, recording the lives and deeds of these people in the minutest detail. How unimaginably boring. Just wandering around, recording whatever that person says and does? How unfulfilling.

Then again, she supposed such things were a little interesting. Especially reading the degenerate or delinquency files on a particular person or group of people. Degenerates were a things Opi hardly ever heard about until she was older, but she had read about delinquents and had been warned about them her entire life. The delinquents were the angels that everybody was to avoid. Not to talk to them, or sell things to them, or obey their summons; Hell, Opi recalled a time she had seen her father almost throw a man into prison for smoking outside of the church. And he was just smoking!

Angels weren't supposed to smoke, but a lot of them did it anyway. Nobody ever got hurt, so why on earth was a man nearly jailed for it? Maybe it had something to do with the church...

Out of the corner of her eye, something tall and dark caught her attentions: something tall, dark, and somehow very frightening. She suddenly felt like she did wandering the woods all alone at night. At first, all she saw was a dark pantleg and the backside of a man, wingless of all things. And as curiosity should have it, everything that came with this man made all the more sense as to why Opi suddenly felt very nervous.

It was one of the Horsemen. More importantly, it was Death. The Reaper of souls himself, at the Argent Spire.

Never before had Ophelia ever seen a Nephilim, but this whole thing was somehow not how she expected. Why was he here? All this time, she thought Death to be so fierce and vile, all he had to do was look at a man to strike them dead. Here, he was looking this way and that, like he was trying to figure out where he was, or if he had forgotten where he was supposed to go. The masked visage turned left, then right, then up and down, then right again. A crow was perched on the tall of his great blade. Silly thing. It'll cut his little feet off.

"Do you even have any idea where you're going, Sir Horseman?" the angel asked while peeking around the near top of a tall ornate bookshelf. "Lots of people often get lost in this place, those foolish enough to venture in on foot, that is."

The bone mask first sent shivers down her spine. He was about as tall as he was Death's snicker sounded as dry as a bucket of sand. "My dear child, don't tell me you actually think I might get lost in here. I can assure you that I am more than capable of finding my way around. Run along, now."

Ophelia gave a small shrug and turned back to the books on the shelf. "Suit yourself, Sir. But should you have any needs of assistance, give me a shout. I'll be working here all day."

Sarcastically. "Excellent. What shall I call you should I need you?"

Just as sarcastically. "Just give me a** _Caw Caw_!** and I'll be there in no time."

As Death opened his mouth, she spoke again. "Nice bird, by the way. You hardly ever see crows in this blasted place. Mostly white things. Boring."

The young girl didn't turn to face them again, but she would have laughed. Dust gave the most chipper of caws and puffed up like a feathered muffin. Pridefully, the bird perched himself on the Horseman's cadaverous shoulder, looking like he was actually smiling.

He was rather smug about it, too.

That was the briefest encounter she had ever had with a non-angel. After stocking the remaining tomes and scrolls she was given, Ophelia hopped down the staircases and shouted up, unceremoniously. "AZREAAAL, I'm going home now. I've finished stocking and cataloging for today!"

After a long silence, "Alright, thank you Ophelia. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Before she left her place at the library, Opi remembered that there was someone she was forgetting, assuming he was still there.

"Goodbye Horseman! It's been a pleasure meeting you, even if you don't say much. Take care!"

* * *

In the terribly frigid waters, still enough to reflect the clear steel blue sky, but rippled still, Duleb floated there and watched the nothingness up above. Her lips quivered and her fingers and toes were numb, but she was relaxed as she could possibly be, which more often than not, isn't very. Amethyst eyes looked as though they were glazed over by a jaundiced sheen of tears, but given the fact that they opened and closed vertically from each other every so often proved that they were, in fact, her other eyelids.

There was something about being in the water that the youngling found remotely relaxing, and took advantage as much as she could. In this same frigid lake, since she was small, she would float on the icy surface and just watch the sky, and then dive toward the secret opening in the wards of this particular part of her planet. Never would she dive or float there for too long in one spot, especially in this lake, where enormous eel-like monsters are said to lurk and devour unexpected swimmers.

And she was smart to be so safe. There had been a few times where Duleb had a run-in with dusksharks and sweeper serpents on her way through the particular reef that linked the glaciers to the highrise, and a few other times when she approached open waters. Being anatomically built to be quick in the water, though, she was never too concerned about those. The Mantawars and Megaladons were the only creatures of the deep that Duleb had seen, and genuinely feared.

Akumas, with their strong and long animalistic legs, were specially designed for treading water. They were one of the few species of sentient beasts on this planet with webbed feet and water-resistant coats, making for excellent traits given the polar living conditions.

For a brief moment as she ascended, Duleb wondered if she would start with spearfishing again come the following spring season, and maybe take a new prize to her ever curious celestial companion.

A little surprise might be nice after all! Maybe a sand star, or perhaps a piece of coral, maybe Ophelia would find that interesting.

Coral was easily broken, but not at a small price, which would be the life of the remainder of the coral itself. Once the coral was stressed, it died, turning from a bright and deep jade green to an ugly, murky olive. Oh well, such is the price of knowledge and a smile from her beloved.

The portal was within a tiny grotto of sea rock and concealed by a tall and thick wall of electric kelp. Most creatures that tried to make their way inside the sacred structure were shocked away, or the smaller ones were simply killed, but Duleb brushed herself in the kelp oils often, making her virtually immune.

It took the shock away, but not the sting it left behind.

Alright, if she remembered this spell correctly, all she had to was open the ward leading to the main layline, and then just teleport from there. She'd been working on her means of teleportation a lot as of late, trying to perfect her way of traveling so that she arrived to her destination in one piece.

The way it felt opening an underwater ward, though, was complicated and uncomfortable all on it's own. The sensation of violating the opening in her planet's protective barriers from this particular place made her body feel like it was being crushed by the supernatural pressure of the act, as well as the added pressure of being underwater. It made her feel like something was trying to force her mouth open, and inhale water, but the terror of drowning made Duleb clamp her throat shut even tighter.

Condense the will of your motions into a shield, then visualize that shield surrounding you as you as the ward opens. Imagine the ward as a sheen of thick curtains, obscuring the way from where you currently are to where you wish to be. Once you can feel the ward opening for you, move forward, just like walking, and when everything is white and the void begins to surround you, you have entered the Serpent Hole.

Vulgrim had taught Duleb how to manipulate teleportational spells to enter the Serpent Holes from many different locations, no matter how far away from an actual portal she happened to be. It was a clever trick, so she guessed, but one that she still needed to work on. A normal Akuma could only execute so much magic, after all.

So, Duleb concentrated, and through the cobwebs of reality, she swept right in and entered the void of nothingness made manifest. The empty, eternal, white corridor, which lead to nowhere and everywhere in every direction. All that was real and seemed real was the snaking trail of deep blue luminescence that stretched out for a few feet from where she stood, and as she moved, the trail seemed to fade away and appear again from behind and in front of her.

There was no sound here, but calling this place "empty" lacked accuracy; where there was supposed to be noise, there was just the vacuum of sound. The sound of no sound, if that made better sense.

Held steady by the will of the passenger, this thick void of white presence, was the literal path between worlds. And the path from Nergal to Lostlight was not a long one to take.

Nergal itself was a polarized ice cap on a hell-controlled planet that just so happened to remain in its cradle within the nurturing branches of the Tree of Life. This planet, along with all of its life and sentient creatures, belonged to Hell, and was not yet condemned to be swallowed by the all-encompassing Abyss. To enter from this planet and materialize someplace close enough to the White City was definitely a possible threat, but, cleverly enough, not enough to enter through these wards in great numbers.

One of the many reasons not too many people liked coming to this planet in accordance to some sort of infiltration plan. Not to mention the angry natives.

The short walk there gave Duleb some time to think about what to do this afternoon.

After what seemed like an hour long walk, the wafting mists of reality began to fade away, phasing into the shapes and colors of the actual realm. She listened as the sounds of crunching branches, birdsong, and leaves faintly faded to life as she walked on, and slowly, she could smell the trees, air, and life around her. She felt a great pull from the sky and looked up, far to the north,where the haze of tall blue mountains stretched out from beyond the horizon. She stood high up, almost on the of her toes. She took a deep breath through her nose and smelled it, out there somewhere

A storm was coming, but Lostlight just kept on getting prettier and prettier.

* * *

Duleb sat there in the grass and stared at the wad of golden bracelets, chains, tearing jewels, and flowers. There were paper fans, masks, flower crowns, long paper griffons that resembled longer than life paper dragons. She brought all sorts of incredible gifts from the Equinox festival she had participated in, and did her best to explain what each thing was. Opi even said that she could _keep all of the gold jewelry._ Keep it. Like, for herself.

"All in all, that's what I did today. Nothing much else to report. Oh wait! I also found a whole family of salamanders underneath the bridge outside the Imundii Spire! Isn't that something?"

Duleb sat blinking, mouth agape and rigid. She even looked to be holding her breath. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the tickets in her hand. This was a fortune...

" You actually spoke to him?" She started, slipping the gold into her knapsack." Nevermind seeing the Horseman, my entire street was stopped by the Lady Horseman herself, but you _spoke_ to him? What did he say?"

Opi plucked the petals off off a tiny daisy, scattering the purple petals all over her skirt. "Well, all he really did was ask me where Azreal was , and I warned him about getting lost."

"And? You must have said something else to him? Did you?"

"He did sort of laugh at me and said that he knew where he was going, I tried to play the sarcasm game with him, but I think if he actually tried to beat me, he would've. Oh, and I complimented his bird. The crow seemed happy to be noticed."

Opi let herself drop back onto the grass and looked up at the sky. Through the clouds, she thought for a second that she had seen rings up in the sky. "You know, I don't really understand what scares people so much. I mean, sure, a rider of the Counsel is a scary thing, when you think about it; plus he wears that ghastly mask, but he's just a man when it all comes down to it. He spoke to me like a person, so I did the same. He might have been nice, had we spoken longer, but I guess I'll never know. "

Duleb almost didn't believe what she was hearing. Ophelia actually spoke to the Horseman Death, and nothing happened. Just casual talk between man and child…

Oh! That's it! Ophelia was funny like that. To her, there were few lines between Angel and Demon, as she tried to explain. No less the strange and terrifying combination of the two. If if looked like a person, spoke in intelligent sentences like a person, or even walked upright like a person, Ophelia considered it a person.

_"Where can I learn to do that?"_ the demon thought.

"Is there anything else you would like me to fill you in on?"Ophelia giggled, fingering at the etching in the bronze plate on Duleb's shoulders. "Since we're being so forthcoming…"

The alien laughed and let her legs out from under her. "Mayhaps you can enlighten me on how you can talk to people so easily. I thought you were shy." The way she looked over at her friend was either playful or flirtatious, but whichever it was, Ophelia couldn't say for sure. Either way, it made her blush.

"I'm not even sure how I do it. Some people are just approachable, and in some situations, I know exactly what to say. Sometimes, though, it's still scary to put voice to my concerns, when too many people are around, like when I get called on in class and everyone just so happens to be present, or when I'm trying to talk to my father. That is scary."

Absently, Duleb laid herself down on the ground next to her companion. For some reason, she hoped she knew what she was doing.

"What about Death though? I hear all he has to do is look at a horde of men to strike them dead."

"Surely you don't think I'm an illusion here?" Ophelia gestured to herself with a smile. "I made eye contact with the Horseman and all I initially thought at first was how pretty his eyes were, and how handsome he must be beneath that horrid mask. Although his gaze looked like it could cut through a man, I doubt he kills on visual contact."

Just as she did when the angel first arrived, Duleb sat and just stared at the brave little marvel beside her. She would be the one so bold as to strike up a conversation with Death, or any of the other Horsemen for that matter. Deep down, Duleb wished she could be as brave as she. As social and sweet as she was.

But you can't be sweet and social in Hell. It got you into really bad places, or dead. Or worse…

Duleb wet her lips and grinned, giggling as Ophelia looked over and caught her staring. For a few moments, the two girls sat and just looked at each other. Niether knew that the look in their eyes made their hearts swell with a whole new kind of affection to the both of them. But the very fact the Duleb had been lying there in the grassnext to her made it clear that they were both a hair more comfortable with each other's presence than they should be for just friends.

After a prolonged silence, Ophelia sighed happily, leaned further into her company's side and leaned her head on her furry shoulder.

"Duleb, can I ask something of you?" the angel asked quietly, rather breathy.

"Anything, just ask."

Ophelia sat up, face-to-face with her demon and propped herself on her arms. "Will you say something in your language to me? I like to hear you talk to me like that."

Nervously, Duleb bit her lip. "What do you want me to say? Anything?"

"Say something about me."

_Oh good Lord. Well, at least she won't understand … _The demon swallowed the wetness in her mouth, and looked forward to the tall spire off in the distance, just inside the impenetrable wall of silver and stone, not quite so, but they looked enough like it. So close, she could almost touch it, and yet impossible for her to ever get near. Finally, she spoke those words she wished she could say, but never could-

_"You're my one and only true friend, the one person I feel safe around, the most beautiful and wonderful thing in all of Creation, and I think I'm in love with you."_

Ophelia smiled sweetly, and for a moment, Duleb was scared to death that she might have understood her. Then, she placed a gloved hand over hers, brought it to her heart and whispered, _"Yanipittin._"

Amethyst eyes blinked in awe at this angel's brilliance. She just uttered words of Silvian as retaliation for the Nebonese. Duleb had been around Sprites long enough to know a few words and phrases when she heard them, like for a running man, directions, and mostly to tell people to piss off.

But the demon had no friggin' idea what that word meant. At the one point in her life when she _should have!_

Ophelia giggled, stood up and brushed her dress off, smiling through that rosy sheen of blush.

"What does that mean? That wasn't Celestial tongue, that was Silvian, what did you say?"

A smug grin and a kiss to the demon's nose. "Figure it out. I have to go, otherwise I'll be late for the parades. Goodnight, Duleb."

"Wait! What did you say?! Please!"

"Well aren't you eager to know?" sarcasm broke through the angel's lips along with a teasing grin. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Duleb. Be safe and travel smart."

While the angel walked down the hill, back toward the path of origin, the demon fumed. To add insult to injury, she was waving behind her head.

"What does that mean?!" Duleb shouted, still sitting in her little knook. "Please don't make me ask a Sprite what that means! I don't got back to Silvia for another three weeks! Ophelia… OPI DON'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!"

"Goodbye, Duleb. I'll save you a few things from the parades," She called over her shoulder. "And you had better show me that Snype tooth you were telling me about! I want to see it!"

Well, that was the end of that. There was no way Duleb was getting anything out of her. There was the possibility of an interrogation at a later date, bu Duleb couldn't be so troublesome at this moment, since something important seemed to be happening in the White City this day. As she treaded down that dirt path back to the long bridge to the Gates she looked way way up into the sky again, and saw those rings. The rings of what looked like a planet, oh, but it looked so close from here!

She had never noticed that before...


	4. Let's Take A Closer Look

Duleb twirled those golden chains and bracelets that Ophelia had given her in her pockets, wondering what she was going to do with them. It was a small fortune, but it had to be used wisely. An akuma like herself couldn't just wander up anywhere with a fistful of gold, no, this had to be hidden. Hidden where nobody would ever find it. Perhaps she would take it out and bury it someplace deep in the forest.

Duleb only trusted Ophelia and Manol, but Vulgrim had offered her some help in growing her finances. Of course, he'd been giving her that advice all her life, and she wasn't looking to just horde money, she was looking to invest in a property, or at least some land out west where she can get herself some land of her own. Of course, that meant she would have to move to Hena, and in Hena, you had to go through the whole process of buying a claim for the land, waiting for a few weeks for the Grounds Board to send a letter of approval, which allowed her to purchase a lot of land, **BUT**, if she was denied her claim, she had to wait even _longer_ to go and have an audience with a Landlord, an open interview, more or less, to see if she were worth putting the effort into filing her claim.

She was fully aware that the process would probably take her years, but she was more than determined to get that through and finally have her home in the West, like she dreamed of. Duleb wondered what Ophelia would think, how proud she would have been. Nowadays, the akuma missed her angelic companion more fiercely than ever. Thankfully, she still had Monol to call friend.

Now, being in the racial position she was in, (not to mention her radical social awkwardness ...) Duleb had quite the task on her hands: She must venture into Hena alone and legally procure documents saying that the plot of land she was purchasing belonged to her, and that would be no easy task. People didn't like akumas on this planet. After all, it was their fault that the planet was imprisoned in the first place. Most often than not, akumas never left their home city in the North, but Duleb was a slave child brought from this planet to Hell, and then came back. She was ill taught in the ways of her home world.

She quickly realized that she would need to first become a legal citizen, or have an ambassador to speak to a counsel on her behalf. Succubii were very charismatic, even against their own kind. But befriending a succubus would be tricky all on its own. They were a sneaky bunch, and liked to take advantage of you. The same could be said of the Incubii. Since Duleb was from off-world, she couldn't get anything done in this country without being a citizen first, and that may take years to go through. She had a lot of money here with her, more than enough to but the Land she planned on buying. She could put some in as a means of speeding up the process, but she would have to spend carefully. She still had things she needed after the home was built. She'll need wards, enchantments, chimes, everything.

Living in the woods on her own could attract the attentions of demons, dark spirits, and all sorts of other creatures. She'll need everything she can get to prepare for any possible contingency.

Things were quite complicated there, in that bustling country of Hena. Lots of people having to deal with lots of vouchers, personal identification documents, and all sorts of ridiculous records that needed to be kept, all just to get something done like buy a plot of land or get a decent job at the foundry. Well, thank goodness it would all be taken care of in time. With the right payment, things could be made to move a little quicker.

He who has the gold, makes the rules.

On her way out of the city, to the Surface, The temples and spires were still active. Acolytes watched from their tall spires for demonic invasions; Shamans sat among the open-walled pantheon in the outlands and concentrated on their protection spells over the city; the lancers held themselves up upon the wall, moving their bodies and spears in time with the wind. The wind chimes set up alongside the edges of each structure's awning sang musically in the hot wind while the warriors performed their morning routine. Almost like ch'üan, those ones. They're masks hid their faces from anyone who was watching, but they perhaps knew each other well enough to show their faces around their fellow lancers. Duleb began to wonder if these people knew what "_hot_" actually was.

Their grace and footwork were impeccable, swaying and striking the air with their spears in time. Truly they were fierce individuals indeed! The Silvian lancers are groups of extremely devoted monks who helped to protect the city from invaders. (Well, not all invaders...) They've been around for centuries; Lancers being the most revered and disciplined fighters that most armies have never seen. Sprites were fast, especially a nimble Sprite female, (or a skinny male Sprite.) So one could imagine being overwhelmed at the unexpected ambush of a group or six or seven ladies with long, super thick wooden sticks, proceeding to clobber you to death.

Now, the Qiang Shǒu, those are another story; the Silvian Gunslingers. According to the history, These were former members of the Silvian Monastery, but were banished and for the usage of outlawed technology and artificial weaponry. Specifically guns. Including, but not limited to, antique Henean rifles and pistols. Apparently, akumas weren't the _only_ race on this planet that liked to tinker.

Duleb had seen the acts of the Qiang Shǒu firsthand in a Silvian trade district before. A shootout between what may have been several parties, against a group of demonic mercenaries. Duleb recognized the uniforms of the bodies as the men began to carry corpses into the smokehouse to be burned. They were sent from the Black Stone. The Qiang Shǒu were outlaws getting themselves involved with civil matters and parliament by acting as protectors of the city beneath the surface, and above it. They have even escorted a princess from Sophia all the way to Hena's Star Capitol. _A princess_! That's a big deal for these people. It was a strange thing, really. Technology and weapons like guns were outlawed centuries, certainly so were those Gunslingers that came with them.

But hey, this is Sophia! Such things are to be expected. A few robberies; Some random alchemist's failed experiment going up in flames; Another royal scandal; Omens in the sky...

Never a dull moment.

The Akuma made the treacherous journey across the blazing desert back to the warp pad towards the Western nation of Hena. Much like the serpent holes of the Black Stone and other realms, these were simple means of teleportation by distorting one's metaphysical form into tiny particles of light and shooting those particles to the warp pads in another location. The akumas of Nergal had discovered that, and created the first warp pad eons ago.

When at last she zapped into the capitol city, she found herself overwhelmed with the sounds of pulling carts, shouting people, crying children, and much more familiar sounds, like otherworldly chanting, demons shouting somewhere in the distance, and the loud foghorn rumbling lowly over the city's tenor. The streets were packed with people, sprites, akumas, succubi, incubi, and demons of nearly all variations. However, a majority of monstrosities and horrors of the Black Stone could not be seen here. Seems as though only hell's more docile populous would be living in this area.

Heaven forbid they decide to send the bigger demons...

While in town, Duleb decided it would be nice to stop at a tavern for a drink. (_An akuma walks into a bar..._)

She couldn't possibly ignore the fact that what little conversation being held in this place abrubtly came to a halt the moment she stepped through the door.

There, at the dusty old establishment, she met a lovely, chubby half-succubus with an exquisite face. She had colorful hair, golden eyes, and the prettiest pink complexion. She said her name was Cattie, and she was the owner of this tavern. She worked with the labor board. A rather nice lady, she gave Duleb a voucher to go in and speak with an administrator from the Land Dispersion Administration, along with a bowl of _heihei _and rice, a free drink and a smile.

"Just tell 'em Cattie sent'cha. And dress nice, these corporate folks like a good first-impression. You'll need a job, a letter of recommendation, and a nice outfit. You're a mighty pretty lady, an' it'd be wise to use that."

There were plenty of wizards and vendors around that would be more than happy to shell out their trinkets for anyone who is willing to pay them a proper coin for it. The same could be said for anyone in the city willing to provide or steal the right documents for her to be able to get what she needed done done.

"Alright, but how am I to get a job if I have no papers?" Duleb asked in a hushed voice.

"Oh, right. Here," Cattie started, reaching behind her and pulling out a pad of paper. She had one long claw on her pointer finger, which struck the paper like graphite as she wrote drown instructions. "Can you lift heavy things?"

Duleb shrugged her shoulders, muscular and strong after all those years of servitude to the demanding demons. "Been lifting all my life. I can do it some more."

"Alright, great. And you say you're from off planet?" She made a hissing sound as she drew in air through her teeth, shaking her head. "That's gonna be rough, considering you almost look like a small legion female-"

Duleb placed a finger on the top of her pad and drew it down. "No. I'm not from off-planet. I'm not a demon. I am an Akuma. I was born on this planet; I was _stolen_ from this planet; I came back. That's it. The only reason I look like this-" she paused to take a moment to really look at her reflection in the mug before her. Dark violet eyes glowed back. Ashen hair fell in stringy locks around her face. She looked nothing like a legion. To her, she thought she was looking at a dragon.

"The only reason I look like this, is because the Black Stone _changes_ you. That planet is attached to a dark star that sucks everything dry, further allowing the Prince of Darkness to build his throne and expand his armies of atrocities. Everything that touches that planet mutates; twists into something that is was never supposed to be. It does it to plants and animals, and it does it to intelligent beings, too."

Cattie had been writing her instructions the whole time, glancing up from her folded up paper and frowning. "How long ya been there, kiddo?"

Duleb looked up from her mug with an empty smile. "Twenty years. Two decades. Several off years."

The succubus brought a hand to her mouth and crossed an arm. "Only seven off years? Gods, I'm so sorry." She paused for a moment to look Duleb in the eye. "Did you cut off your horns? Sweetheart, that's self-mutilation! That's not really an okay thing to do, here. You may have to wrap your head up. Hide it somehow."

A heavy sigh. "I had a feeling you'd say something like that..." She nodded, still smiling vacantly. Quite honestly, now that she thought about it, Duleb had tried to do everything she needed to be normal, but no matter what happened, she still changed. In spite of everything, she now had to come to terms with coming into her own. There was no way anyone would trust her looking like this! She looked like a creature from the abyss, all because the abyss sucked everything good out of her and left nothing but the rot and the sickness.

And abyss.

Now, dress nice? Boy, that's gonna be tough. Duleb had never gotten herself a pretty thing in her whole life, let alone something anyone remotely important would wear. Plus, all she ever really wore was her tunic and trousers, she don't know how to shop! Perhaps she should speak with Cattie again. She seemed to know how to look good, as most succubi do.

A gentleman, an incubus in a dirty, sat in the stool closest to Duleb's seat, calling out to Cattie. "I'll have what she's havin', if'ya please, lovely."

"You still owe me money for the last meal, Danté. You're lucky tomorrow's payday." She scorned from the kitchen.

"You're a saint, Cattie; a gift from the Gods!" he called back in a sweetly sarcastic manner.

"Shut it, before I change my mind."

He hissed a laugh and wiped his yellowish forehead with a rag. As he stuffed the rag back into his pocket, he extended a hand to Duleb. "Howdy there, Miss. Name's Danté, how ya' doin? I hear you're from off-planet, that so?"

She remained in her spot, arms crossed before her on the dirty, worn out bar. "If you're gonna ask about the whole "Heaven and Hell" thing," she grumbled lowly, "Don't. I don't much like talking about it."

Cattie scorned from the kitchen, followed by an unintelligible man's voice. The cook, perhaps. "You'd better not be tryin' to bark up another lady's tree, Danté! Last thing I need is another broad breaking you over one of my tables!"

Danté curled his lip and bit his thumb at the voices. "Now, I heard you're looking for work and you could lift heavy things, so I figured I'd add my two-sense, is'all."

Duleb stared at the kitchen window through a half-lidded, grim gaze, making it as obvious as possible that his presence displeased her substantially. "And what sense do you think you have?"

"I think that the Blacksmith up in the Tower District is lookin' for help since mah buddy, Damion, hurt hisself, and can't work. You said yourself lifting is no problem, and all the work is is lifting iron and diamond quarts from one place to another."

"Damion's hurt?" Cattie asked as she came back on into the bar with large bowls of food; rice and soup with sliced meats, diced scallions and a soft boiled egg."What happened?"

"He lost his leg, 'member? He slipped coming up the pass after those heavy rains, and the breakage was so bad they had to cut it off at the knee. Poor fella's in crutches now."

"Wait' wait, hold on; what was this about a blacksmith needing help, now?" Duleb inquired, grabbing the man's stained shirtsleeve. "It's a bit urgent."

"Well, up in the Tower District, there's a Legion demon that works in enchanted armor and weaponry. My neighbor, Damion, used to deliver his supplies and materials to him all the time, but now he's hurt. His spot is open, but nobody wants to work with a friggen' demon. Zazu's an old demon. I'm talkin' _oooold_, even for his kind. He ain't a bad character, far as I know. why he's been up there building sheets and Welding metal since I was a boy. He never caused nobody no trouble. The old boy needs help, though, and he pays well. You're from off-planet, so I figured you're used to working with... ya know, those types of creatures."

Duleb stared into her bowl of food for a good long while. "Do you know why this Zazu is even here?"

"I told you, he's an old feller. Says he's retired, but from what, I don't care to know." Danté spoke around a mouthful of food. "You can imagine though, cant'cha?"

Duleb took a bite of food and laced her fingers together, resting her chin on her knuckles and mulling this over. Legion soldiers don't tend to live very long. Most usually die in their youth to mid adulthood; Such was the mortality rate of any lesser demon such as themselves. So how has a legion demon, who has no business being anywhere _near_ a civilized population, lived there so long in the first place? Must be a docile one, and that was like finding a dull needle in a stack of way sharper needles.

Duleb took another bite of her rice and glanced again out the kitchen window. A small Shadow caster lay draped over the window sill, sleeping in the sun like some sort of pet cat. She wondered how many other demons she might find here, and what they wanted. More so, she wondered what she could do to remove them.

"Where is the Tower District? I would like to speak with this Zazu."

* * *

The quiet of the evening meal was drowned out by Ophelia greedily slurping her noodles loudly; it was so spicy, it made her eyes cry and her nose run, but she loved it anyway. Being the one with the least amount of responsibilities in the house, it was her job to prepare the Sabbath day meal for everyone. Normally, she had help cooking when everyone was home at the same time, and sometimes Luden would come home early and kick her out to take over the remainder of her job. She had no such luck tonight, and slaved in that kitchen _forever_. But, she managed to get an early start this evening, and everyone was seemingly satisfied with a simple ramen, vegetables and fish meal tonight. Even still, everyone else was tense, and as usual the atmosphere was somehow unhappy. It was a sensation that anybody in this house was used to, and yet nobody ever mentioned it.

The table was a wide, white hardwood antique that belonged to Aboddon'a great great grandmother. Draped over the tabletop was a simple golden tablecloth etched with blues and whites. While Ophelia had not prepared a huge feast, but there was an impressive spread nonetheless. Aboddon sat at the head of the table, Idella and Marciabella sitting at either side of him. Next to them, sat Verdell and Luden sat across from each other, Chamillo, who was joining the family tonight, sat beside the darling sister* and Ophelia sat at the very end. She faced Aboddon directly, but was the furthest at the table.

It was an odd position, really. To be at the very end of an angel's table.*

"Isn't that your third bowl?" Idella nagged from across the table.

"Isn't that your third haircut?" Ophelia retorted around a mouthful of food.

The elder sneered as the youth victoriously slurped the remainder of her meal. Talia laughed and Verdell snickered, Luden and Idella tried to look stoic, Marciabella looked dead as ever and then there was Chamillo. Just sitting there, being Chamillo. Aside from all of that, most everything else was tense and quiet.

"So, I'd like to say thank you, Father, for allowing me this apprenticeship with Lady Bastet." Ophelia addressed from across the table. "It will be a most wondrous opportunity to further hone these mystics of mine." She jokingly twiddled her gloved fingers about in front of her. "Maybe I can even learn to control this, shall we say, "shocking" little quirk of mine!"

Aboddon's one good eye blinked. "What now?"

Idella nearly chocked on a spoonful of soup when she started laughing. "Bastet?! You mean the crazy cat lady at Imundii?!"

"She's not crazy, and yes, I'm going to Silverwall.I thought I told you about that trip yesterday?" She acted coy. "Don't you recall? I told you that I was leaving tonight for Silverwall. If I want to be her apprentice, she'll need me to come and practice my magic with her."

"What?" The general barked. "Why? What does she need you all the way over there for?"

Talia cried out from her spot at the table. "NOOO! If you move away, who will get us up in the morning?" When Verdell whispered to her, attempting to reassure her, He didn't. Far as anyone else at the table could tell, he only made things worse. "No way, she's mean and yells at me! This is nuts, I hate you people!" The child cried as she leapt from her seat and ran off into the other hallway.

"She said she needs some help around the house. She's old and living all on her lonesome, father. Plus, I was gonna be moving there here soon anyways." Ophelia said with a smile.

A bushy platinum brow rose over his eye."How old is this, Bastet, exactly?"

"Far older than you." She gave off an impish grin as she went on. "I thought I had already explained this to you. Were you even listening?" She asked, crossing arms and gloves over her chest.

Aboddon huffed a breath and frowned even deeper, if that was even possible. "I was, and I don't think I'll allow this whole deal to continue any further. You're far too young to be out on your own, and I have already denied you the first dozen times you've asked. So no. You're staying here with us at least until you finish college, then afterwards we'll see about moving yourself out into the Great Big World."

"Father, you're ridiculous. I'm not a child anymore."

"Maybe not, but I lived with my mother for the longest time before I left for the City and became the man that you see before you. I lived under her roof for a good three, maybe four hundred years, so I lived under her rules. You can do the same for me for a couple more years. Have patience, Ophelia."

The young scribe crossed her arms over her chest and gave her father a sour look of contempt. Left for the city? That implied that Aboddon were from elsewhere, and Opi didn't buy that as far as she cold crumble it up and throw it. She blew a tuft of curls out of her face and rolled her eyes as he spoke, just so she knew he could see her disdain. Normally after Abaddon made his plans clear, that was the end of that, but Ophelia had a tendency of arguing her point further. She would never take no for an answer, and he didn't much like that. At all.

A twitching hand rose up to Ophelia's forehead. She took a deep breath through her nostrils and looked over at the General clad in crimson robes. She stared at him from underneath her brows, her eyes dark with exhaustion and grimace. She had been preparing for this move for days, and taking care of her normal household duties, _and_ helping Azreal transcribe a tome on Amaros' fall, _and_ helping Luke and Ignatius repair their ship, and catching up on her astronomy reading.

"Father, why can't I just get out of here? What is so wrong with the idea of me moving all the way to Silverwall while you're here with the rest of your family? Surely it won't make much of a difference being surrounded by your Warrior children while the scribe is out on her own doing her own thing." She retorted. Thinking more on it, she smiled. "Plus, with all due respect, father, I would rather not carry the stigma of a grown adult still living with _Daddy_."

At that remark, an enormous hand slammed against the tabletop, tipping chalices and sending utensils crashing to the floor. "Ophelia that is enough! This discussion is over. You're staying here, where you're safe. At least until your seventy."

As the young girl stomped red-faced out of the dining hall, her father called to her again. "And you're wrong about something, young lady. I stayed with mother until I was ready, not till I was grown. You aren't ready, and you aren't leaving.'

"Oh hell no," Ophelia laughed as she tugged her gloves off and threw them onto the marble floor. "Watch me." She snapped before disappearing into the hallway Talia had fled to.

Oh, now that escapade made Abaddon **_mad._** He wasn't exactly used to being to being defied in such an open and disrespectful manner, being the great and powerful man that he is, Abaddon was used to getting more respect. More unquestioning obedience than any other angel in the whole of Heaven. Why, he could get anyone to do anything for him. Except his _own_ daughter.

_Except one person..._

Suddenly, something strange happened; Marciabella's dead white eyes blinked slowly, and she spoke. "Now, I'm nothing if I'm not blunt, and we all know you're just not used to being denied, father. Ophelia just might be the only child of yours to ever tell you no. She's stubborn and hot-headed, just like you. For a scribe, she's got too much bite for her bark. She's feisty, and you don't know how to deal with a girl like that." Marciabella's gaze didn't look up from the bowl in front of her, and she didn't see the wild look in Aboddon's good eye. "You're too old-fashioned, Father dear. You simply have to get down on her level and talk to her like a person, not like a lesser being than yourself."

"Young lady, are you calling me arrogant?" Aboddon hissed through clenched teeth. "Because I will have you know that I-"

"Have every right to be arrogant, I know that, we all know; but Ophelia does not. She sees you as a father, not the Hero of the White Nation. You don't treat her fairly, either, and you can ask anybody else, you're a bit cruel sometimes. It's no wonder she practically hates you. But then again," came the monotonous chuckle. "What do you care?" She daintily sipped from her chalice. "Honestly, I have no idea why you can't just let the girl be. Not like she's hurting anyone."

Luden sat rigid and awkward in the seat beside his sister, who had a pretty sound point. The words lingered there, on the surface of his tongue, but the fear of what punishment might ensue afterwards gave him the power to keep his mouth shut. Throughout the whole ordeal, Marciabella remained blunt and impassive as she ever did, and the sheen splay of red slowly but surely kept its way onto Aboddon's grim features, the archangel slowly got to his feet and cleared his throat. Marci's half-lidded gaze never met his, but he knew she still watched him. She always watched him.

"Go and fetch Talia for me. I'll straighten her out." the great general grumbled. Luden immediately rose, wiped his lips, and made for the stairs. "As for Ophelia,"

"Don't say that, Father, and then go yell at her. She doesn't respond when you yell at her. Do like we talked about." Marci said from behind her chalice.

Aboddon waved her off. "Yes, yes, yes. That's all sorted. As for your other sister, I'll speak with her once she's all settled."

* * *

Ophelia stormed out of the dining room as quickly as dignity would permit, slamming the door shut behind her, face ablaze in angry red wrath. She stomped down the stairs and out onto the street, hoping that a walk would ease her troubled mind. She heard Verdell and Luden calling her name after her, but she walked on. Her stomach churned with all the frustration. Hestus was smart, but Bastet was far older, and more tolerable than he. Opi wanted to learn from the best, and usually, the best was usually the most experienced. That, and Hestus was a jerk. But Bastet didn't live in the City, like every other scholar among them. They all lived close to their respective places of work. Bastet lived in the mountains of the Chasm; In a cottage; with nothing but the forest animals to keep her company. Everyone thought she was crazy. Either that, or she was an eccentric recluse.

Luden came up from behind her. Chamillo and Verdell came along with him, both wearing their pleading faces and calling her to reason. People walking up and down the avenue seemed to spot her as she came, they quickly noticed there were no gloves up to her elbows and dashed to get out of her way

"Ophelia, wait, calm down for a moment." The eldest brother spoke softly, almost a whisper to his sister, as if the volume of his voice would possibly upset her more. "Just talk to us for a moment."

She continued forward. "No. Stop following me."

"Ophelia, please, just stop-" Verdell called as he and the boys dodged traffic of oncoming angels. "Where are you even storming off too? This is a one way street toward a bakery! _A bakery_! What, you think cake's gonna fix your problems?"

"Hey, it might! You could get Father an apology cake?" Came Verdell's smart-ass input.

Ophelia growled at her brother's attempt to diffuse the situation, hissing a long breath. "Why should I apologize for our control freak of a father?! I'm up to my ears in his condescending nature and disdainful looks. I'm tired of being treated like some sort of child, and I'm not wanted in my own home! I'm leaving tonight, and nobody is stopping me."

She made an attempt to try and stomp past her brother, but he tried to reach out for her. Instinctively, she opened her arms and hands, holding them out to her sides. All of the boys backed away, as did many of the pedestrians who noticed her little yellow glow.* People started staring and whispering in those hushed voices you never ever wanted to hear on these streets. They wondered if she would harm another angel again.

Luden's eyes shifted from her exposed hand to his sister's narrow gaze. "Fine. If you won't cooperate with him, then let us help move you out. Father would probably have our heads for helping you, deliberately disobeying him, and undermining his authority," each time he brought up another downside,his countenance grew darker and grimmer. "-But we seriously don't want you to be around when he finally does snap." He then wrapped an arm around her shoulders and walked as he spoke. The other brothers trailed behind and beside, almost protectively.

Chamillo spoke next. "You said your going to Silverwall, right?" He scratched his ear annoyingly above Ophelia's head. "Why would you want to live there? Of all places? You do realize that's where all the crazy people live, right? There's only, like, forty-five people there. Why not move to Jordan? It's nice and warm, beautiful island landscape-"

Verdell interrupted, shoving the blond-haired youth away from his sister. "No, Jordan is far too hot. She said she was moving out to Azreal's old loft on the pier. Remember?"

"Yes, I am." The youngest sister spoke up again, still huffy and angry. "I've already been to the property, I just haven't been inside yet. It's a beautiful place, and it's right on the water! It's the perfect place to watch the phases of the planets and movements of stars."

Luden's big hand rested heavily on her shoulder. His breathing came just as so. "I know you're trying, Opi, but this whole science thing you've gotten yourself into had gotten you into a lot of trouble with father as of late. It's putting a huge strain on all of us at home."

The way he said that was as if she had intended to cause strife. At this point, they were back at their home, at the front steps. Ophelia's gaze followed the marble pavement up to the front door, paned in gold and silver and colored glass. The glyph above that magnificently imposing door read, "House of Aboddon," in a dull blue color. Should darkness, or night, or absence of light fall upon the City, that glyph would glow. Every house marker did that.

That glyph never meant anything to the young scribe. This never really felt like her house. She felt, rather, that she lived with some friends and a strange old man she's known her whole life. Being home alone with everyone made her feel so lonely at times. But that shouldn't mean anything to an angel of the White City; satisfaction of one's emotions should come second. She had duties to attend to. She had a job at the Argent Spire, a good job, and father was right in wanting her to stay put.

But that was the last thing she wanted to do. What is an angel if she is but confined to one corner of reality her entire life? Most other angels got into serious trouble for such rebellion to their parental figure. That was, are all, the gateway to delinquency, so they say.

In times like these, she truly missed Duleb. If only she could just hear her voice again.

Luden walked her up the stairs and went on. Ophelia hadn't even been paying attention; hadn't even noticed he was still talking.

"-All I'm saying is that, you can still make peace with him, even if you aren't here to do it. We'll help you move, later tonight, when the moon finally shows up near the water."

"And if we hurry, father may not even notice what we doing." Verdell murmured."I know he'll be with the Winged Lighting all day today investigating Eris's disappearance. He'll be pretty occupied, so I suggest we start immediately."

Chamillo waggled a finger at his brother. "Ah, but your father doesn't leave until later on, another two hours or so."

"Then we're going to have to wait. But Verdell has a good point. Well get started as soon as possible."

Ophelia couldn't believe her brothers were so insistent on helping her move, in spite of their father's orders, no less. Common for young men in the White City, doing bold stupid things for a lady or sister was just a part of growing up. A lot of the time though, Luden would get himself into situations he never thought completely through, and it would often get him into trouble. Sometimes serious trouble.

But he was willing to take the fall for someone who couldn't take it themselves; some would call it foolhardy childishness, but for those who looked up to Luden, they saw that as the hallmark of a true hero.

That was who Luden was in the family; the ambitious hero, the one no one really expected much of, but at the same time had Grand ideals for him.

"So, if I have all this set up here for you to move in stages, can you get it all done by the time I get there?" Opi asked as she packed her final back.

Ophelia was overjoyed that her brothers were there to help her. She even thought that their bickering over who would move what and how fast they would do it was kind of sweet. It was unwise however, to try and leave all of the work to the brothers. They were very disorganized, and had no idea how to stack a bunch of boxes, so, the younger sister had to take the role of overseer and supervisor to ensure that the boys were getting the right things in the right places, and moving them along to the other property in a way that wouldn't destroy any of her belongings.

"What do you mean, by the time you get there?" Chamillo inquired. "Aren't you coming with us?"

Opi reeled back, slapping a palm to her forehead. "Ah, no! I can't! Lady Bastet said she wanted to speak with me at the Imundii spire before I get settled in. She wanted to discuss something with me, I've no idea what, she was so vague in her letter." She paused from her rambling and glanced over to the trio of young angel men holding large chests and coffers of books and other things. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

Luden shook his head. "No, we can get all this done in only a few hours. Piece of cake. You go on and get you business taken care of."

"Yeah, Lord knows we've got nothin' better to do!" Verdell mocked, earning a slap on the head from the two older youths.

Chamillo laughed that theatrical laugh of his and bent to pick up another set of chests. "It's funny because it's true! We've not a thing to do, other than help our dear sister, of course~"

"Okay. Well, that's a relief! I appreciate you boys helping me get this under control!" She grabbed her curls, twisting them up into a messy bun and took the straw hat from her doorknob. "I'll be off, then. I'll see you boys soon. Oh, and Luden?"

He turned and lowered the shoulder of his wing to see her. "Yea?"

"Thanks again, brother. I owe you one."

He pointed a finger at her. "Yes you do. I expect you to write to me, often; not wisp calls, _real_ letters, that I can keep."

"Aww~!" she cooed. Luden just did and said the sweetest things sometimes...

* * *

The hills and valleys just outside the gates were almost as spectacular as the city up above, Ophelia had never seen so much green; the grass went on for as long as the valley stretched on to meet the small lining of mountains on the horizon to the West, and to the sea in the East. The water that fell from the decorative falls along the bridge leading down to the gates fell into the long and winding river that flowed the opposite direction from Ophelia's destination. This seemed to be one of those places lost to the angels, untouched by another soul for eons. The wildflowers grew in blotchy yellow and blue patterns, insects and birds hummed as they flew around, and in a few places particularly low on the terrain, she could see the remnants of the Moat and the river flowing off to the east.

She looked back up the way she had come. Luden, Verdell and Chamillo were still watching from all the way up there, they had come with her to see her off. They were even waving. She waved back at them, her gaze trailing off to the rest of her former city above her. Something inside made her feel like she was going to miss this place; the schoolyard, where she spent much of her time outside, granted while she was away from Lostlight; the Argent Spire, where she constantly violated her rights to eons worth of information about any type of knowledge she could have ever hoped for, and been greatly disappointed that the subject matter about Astrology and outer space was only limited to _one_ section.; the ramen shop, nothing very special about that place, but when there was no place else to escape to that nobody in her family knew to look to find her, it was Downtown, at Heinia's ramen shop.

The White City seemed so much larger from here; an enormous artificial tube in the sky filled with angels and their homes, schools, and churches. She found it odd how structures so grand and imposing could even stand on a platform of it and not fall through, or tip over, or something. She knew, though, that the foundations of the city lay so deep within the huge crater directly below it, it would be sturdy enough. That, and magical fortifications are most definitely used here. She followed the impossibly large structure from it's roots to the clouds. Even as she stood directly at the stairway to Heaven, she could hardly see past the start of the Downtown area. It was truly a vast city indeed. Perhaps it could still be seen from all the way in Silverwall!

She looked up toward the gate again. Luden and her brothers were gone. Ophelia drew in a deep breath, saying farewell to her home one last time, before turning around to face the road ahead; a primitively paved dirt road dotted with wildflowers. This would be the very first time Ophelia had left the safety of her home, not just for a stroll through the forest, but for a whole new part of her world she had never seen. Out into a world she had only seen in the pages of books. She was so anxious to be on her way, seeing things and writing everything down, she was tempted to pull out her pad and quill.

So why was she just standing there, staring at the dirt road before her? The scene felt like something out of a dream. She never knew that there would be so much fear involved in being out on your own. No more parents, or school, no nursemaids, no manners, no tyrannical Aboddon, no worries, right?

At least she thought so. She hoped so as she started moving her feet.

Ophelia walked that dirt road for miles and miles before she came to the grassy stretch of golden plains that laid before a cliff overlooking the Empty Sea. She knew she would have to fly the rest of the way there. She eventually stood at the edge of that cliff and watched the water below, how it slapped violently against the face of the rocky cliff. The water looked menacing somehow; dark and uninviting, not the way she had hoped it would be. She stood there for a moment, and recalled looking back at the White City's brightly illuminated visage in the distance. Is seemed like it was watching her somehow, like there would always be a time when the City would be in her line of sight, or vise versa.

To think, almost everything up there was all fake. All of it. The trees that grew among the collections of fine houses and other establishments of the White City were all made with magic. The only real earth- actual dirt that came from the ground, that looked and smelled and felt like dirt- could be found outside of the City. This was the only part of the planet she hadn't seen in all her life. as she flew over the dark expanse of the ocean, she thought hard about that.

* * *

The Imundii Spire was a structure located Near the coast of Silverwall, about a forty minute walk from her new home on the pier. It was almost as grand as structure as the Argent spire, towering over the sea and it's home on the rocks; A pillar of sandy colored granite and emerald stone. The plateau looked like it peered out beyond infinity, far beyond what the ocean would allow. It was everything Ophelia imagined it would be, and more; spectacular, a marvel to witness for oneself. The way it's at the edge, right on the edge of the ocean, right beneath the lighthouse; it looked like a castle from a fairytale. It was like a dream really, and now she was going through the deed of making that dream come true. All she had to do was walk right to the front doors, and begin her journey to the Stars.

Right through that front door...

Taking a deep breath, Ophelia began to make her way up the worn and weathered steps. The enormous Imundii, the pillar of knowledge, of Science and Technology, towered above her, making her feel so small. She thought about how everyone else was so small compared to this effigy, and that fact made her more comfortable. She looked around and saw faces unfamiliar to her, which was strange given the fact that almost every angel in the City looked exactly alike. These were names and faces she had never seen before having never left her City. The eagerness of meeting all these people made her stomach swell. Social anxiety also did the same, only this felt like more of a bloating sensation than actual joy. There were four guards stationed outside of the front door, all holding onto long, gleaming rapiers, which was also strange. What were armed guards doing at a library? Didn't they have anything better to do with their valuable time?

Why was the royal guard concerned in protecting an Angelic facility solely dedicated to scientific research? Perhaps an angel of great importance was visiting today. Maybe they were on guard because they had nothing better to do. Or maybe they were sent here to keep an eye out for her; to watch out for the Renegade Ophelia and see if they can convince her to come back home. Maybe Raphael was in.

"Excuse me sir," the young girl called up from a dozen steps below them. "Do any of you know if Lady Bastet is in today? I was sent for her."

The guards, wearing their typical gleaming uniform and heavy helms, must have known who she was, for the identified her by name. The guards clapped a fist to their hearts and bowed their heads. The only man not wearing a helm of any sort addressed her.

"Yes of course, Lady Ophelia," he replied, extending a gloved hand down towards her as his three comrades went to go and open the doors for her. "She should be in her office, at the very top of the Spire , in the observatory. It's a direct flight upstairs."

Politely, Ophelia took the guard's hand and bowed her head. "Thank you, sir." She said with a clap on the soldier's back as she stepped on inside.

Now the Imundii looked a lot larger on the inside than it was on the outside. The floors and walls were paved of the finest gold, which reflected everything from the ceiling to the passing feet that squandered by. The windows, which ranged greatly in size and height, were made entirely from stained glass that one could find in a cathedral. As a matter of fact, the glass was probably made here, from the sand pits in the rock quarries just outside of this tiny town. Ophelia thought to question about that later on.

Curled wings stretched out and gently cast the angel upward toward the spire's peak. On her way up, she noted the similar architecture to that of the Argent Spire, how the library itself revolved around a winding staircase leading to the top. A few other angels all flew about, each one a female of dark skin and dark hair. Angels in the city only ever had white hair! The only other angels Opi had ever seen with any other color hair were Marci, Rose, and Idella. But even still, they were all so fair; the women here were a large contrast to that, sporting deep olive toned or mahogany skin, the diversity of this place was incredible.

She landed on a small jade platform hovering just on top of the lab's landing. The lab was a small, cozy space swathed in a somber golden and bronze color by the amber windows and noon bright sunlight. A simple two-story flat with a short staircase that spiraled around the huge cluster of golden globes in the center. That piece alone was the centerpiece from the entire room, setting directly beneath a ray of golden sun. Planetary models, moon models, star maps and comet charts practically hung from all across the expansive ceiling, which happened to open up to a glass-dome stargazing room! Right where the telescope should be! And the Brazier for the Lighthouse was being tended to by a tall, skinny man in long white robes. There were cats everywhere!

_Cats everywhere~_

The grinding and clanking of the gears and plates below the globes was rhythmical, relaxing almost. It was all around, in the walls, floor, and even a few up above. Those moved the mobiles and stars hanging from their respective wires. Ophelia also heard humming coming from behind the globe. She hurriedly made her way down the tiny flight of stairs, watching the mechanisms work through the glass floor, and came across the figure of a squat little old lady with a fat white cat in her arms, along with a few scrolls. She set them on the tabletop and giggled to herself, talking in a hushed voice to the cat.

"Now if Sahaquiel would just put his scrolls back when he finished reading them, I could die happy!" she heard the old lady mutter.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Ophelia started, hoping not to startle the little woman. "Do you happen to know where Lady Bastet is? I'm hoping to ask her about an apprenticeship, and I-"

The leathery little lady turned to face Ophelia, looking her over with eyes so small, so obstructed by winkles, she almost seemed to have no eyes. "Ha! You're lookin' at her! This is ol' Lady Bastet. You must be Ophelia, Aboddon's girl! I've been so eager to finally speak to you outside of letters! Oh, and look how beautiful you are! You look just like your father..."

_She just met me and already I feel insulted. This will be a fine day indeed..._

With surprising strength, Bastet grabbed a hold of Opi's gloved hand and shook it furiously. The white cat traversed the lady's broad shoulders and now sat atop them. Ophelia wondered how such a frail looking woman could have such a strong grip! (And support such a fat cat-) She knew Bastet was older than the rest, but she had no clue she'd be so... well... Angels typically didn't tend to age once they turned thirty, and didn't seem to age for a very long time after that. So an angel as worn and wrinkly as Bastet had to have been _millions of years old!_ That's, like, _waaay_ longer than any other angel's been alive! She may very well have been-

"Why, yes, I am of Aboddon's house, but not any more! I'm setting up shop here in Silverwall now! Right on the pier." Opi proudly declared, taking a moment to reassemble her thoughts and focus on the conversation.

"On the pier? You mean Jophiel's old studio? Well that's awfully kind of her to let you move in. Or did Azreal let you in? I know for a fact she let him in first- Don't you know how often that house gets flooded?"

Ophelia giggled. Bastet has a funny train of thought. "Actually, no, I don't. Although I am aware of the seasonal flooding. Pompeii gets a lot of rain, the sea swells, and Silverwall pays the price."

The old angel laughed as she stroked her cat's head. "True. Well come on in, make yourself comfortable. I'll pour us some tea."

Bastet set the cat on a table right beside the curve of the globe and shuffled off into the bookshelves. The cat then stretched, licked her paws for a moment, and curled back up on the tabletop. Ophelia took a moment to admire the office as she took a seat at the desk. She listened to Bastet clattering around in the hidden kitchenette. The bookshelves lined the areas of the wall in front of the machinery, ever taller to reach the ceiling opening up above. So many books, and they were the handwritten observations of the Angels of the Stars themselves. These were their findings throughout their lives of watching the heavens beyond our own. They had gone farther than any astronomer before, and the Kingdom of Heaven did so at an incredible age.

Bastet shuffled back into her office with a tray of teacups and a large black kettle that hung hung from a woven ring around the crook of her arm. She hooked a long stand of grey hair behind her ear as she spoke. "So you're here to ask about an apprenticeship with me? While I'm utterly flattered, you know that my daughter, Kokabiel is also a scholar, among other things. She regularly gives lectures here at the Spire." She proceeded to pour three cups of tea, one cup for the cat.* "She usually teaches the more juvenile youth of or area, but Silverwall is such a small community. Not a whole lot of families with children. Mostly old folks and workers, so not too many people have any interest in stargazing. Her classes are small."

"Oh, I know, my Lady. In the City, there weren't even astronomy classes! There was hardly nay science at all! Just engineering, military, mystics, medics and scribes. That's why I came out here." Opi said quietly, fiddling with the teacup in her hands. "Azreal told me there was only about twenty people living here when he was in town." she lifted her teacup to her lips. "What I wanted most was to learn more astrology and astrochemistry; My only interest is the cosmos, and the White City only has but a few things to teach. I still have many questions left unanswered, and I feel like this may be a way for me to just, dig a little deeper."

The elder angel sighed nostalgically. "Well, If you're already here, I want you to know that I'm taking a few of my personal belongings from his office, and I'm letting you move in. Whenever I give you an assignment or a project, this will be your workplace, as well as your study. Your own private office at Imundii. I thought you might like the telescope upstairs, so I have the keys to the hard light latch in my top desk drawer."

A sarcastic chuckle. "Oh, do you mean to tell me this is all mine now?" Opi inquired playfully as she set her cup on the table. She jumped when the man tending the Lighthouse brazier left, opening the loud, creaky door.

"Did I just stutter, child?" The elderly angel asked with a raspy laugh, sipping her tea. "I'm old. I've had enough of all this flying back and forth from my house to the spire, and back. I'm retiring, and I'm retiring my space. My daughter has her own office, her own telescope, and I have no other predecessors to give this place to. Plus, my cats seem to think you're nice, so I think I can trust you." she explained as she sat back in her chair and took a long drink of her tea.

Ophelia sat rigid. "Oh my God, you weren't lying." she clasped her hands together over her lips and pulled in a deep breath, nearly spilling her drink. "I'm sorry for swearing, but you can't be serious. All this space? All these books? Your cats? And the telescope?" she asked, not having realized that tears were gliding down her cheeks. "Your _cats_, though?! I just got here!"

Bastet smiled so much, her eyes nearly disappeared beneath her wrinkles. "If Mau likes you, then I like you." she said, stroking the white cat's long back. "Besides, I've spoken with some of your old teachers since we've been exchanging letters, including Raphael, and even he says you're a great person. You're clever, reflective, and full of potential. This is the perfect place for you, child. I will be teaching you privately in my home, but this is where you will do most of your research and major projects. And your reading. Did I mention the reading?"

"Oh, there was never a need to mention reading," she mumbled and wiped her cheeks." Forgive me for being so drastic, I'm just excitable!" Ophelia stopped talking when she looked on over to see the wrinkly old smile. A flush heated her cheeks and Ophelia sighed, trying to play it off.

Bastet giggled like a little girl. Something about the way she giggled sent a flush of a deeper crimson across Ophelia's face. The student sipped at her tea, trying to contain her excitement. Bastet's wrinkly little face curled into a tender smile.

"Besides, it's best a working woman has a place separate for her work from home. Work and Home tend to fuse together to make Mess."

She couldn't help but think about the teachings of Kokabiel downstairs. Ophelia had read a few passages on Kokabile at the Argent Spire, but little information was found other than the fact that she was a child of the Archon Bastet, and had fallen in love with science and the universe rather than her Codex. She asked Bastet if and where the Angel of the Stars would be teaching today, and was told that, "Her classroom is downstairs, on the ground floor. It's one of the first rooms to the left as you enter. You can't miss the great big blue door."

Excitement welled up in her guts as she walked around the ground floor, searching for that blue door. The white walls and the golden floor seemed to circumnavigate the enormous fountain within forever, but after about twenty minutes of searching, she found it. The enormous blue door, one that stretched almost as high as the ceiling-

And the doors were wide open.

The room was actually a music room, lighted in ambient white light that looked like it was coming from outside as well as inside. It was about that time for the sun to be it's most intense. The light cast all of the blue and white furniture throughout the room in brightness; the station where the orchestra would be seated; the blue pews of the choir; the cluster of blue and white robed teenagers gathered around the grand organ at the center of it all, one among them speaking in an older, all bathed in the shiny white light of the stainless windows.

"Sound waves are so beautiful to hear, my pupils, but imagine how beautiful they'd be to see with our eyes."

Ophelia glanced about, making sure she wouldn't get into trouble wandering into a class that wasn't hers, and stepped inside. She approached quietly from behind, so not to disturb anyone who was listening, and she listened in herself. There were a few young angels up in the windows as well, one with a large white guitar, another with a long pink lyar, and a young man in light armor. Minstrels. And a paladin? In the White City, you would never see a paladin- or a warrior of any kind- sitting near a bard! She watched them from below as she reached for her writing utensils in the knapsac at her side.

"Have any of you ever wondered why organ pipes have different lengths? I press a key," a high pitched squeal rang out through the room, making Opi flinch. "and it sends compressed air into a particular pipe, producing sound waves. Now, if we could slow down these sound waves a couple hundred times, they'd sound much, much different."

She pressed another key, playing a much deeper tune than the first. Only this time, as the sound came spilling out of the pipes up ahead, the entire room _rippled_. The waves from the pipes actually emanated all around the room. The younger students gasped and marveled in awe at the sight, as did Ophelia. Impulsively, she began taking notes. She heard laughter from up above her, in the rafters. More young men and women in light armor, bearing the same colors as the paladin the the window.

"The length of the pipe determines the length of the sound wave that can fit inside of it. A short pipe gives you a short sound, whereas a long pipe gives you a long sound. Short sound waves have a high pitch, or frequency," Again, she pressed a key, playing another high pitched squeal. The sound waves bounced from here to there all across the expanse of the beautiful abbey. it was a little disorienting to watch. The more noise people made, the more distorted things looked. It got to the point where Ophelia could no longer make out the text she had written in her notes.

"Let's stop this wave here to get a better look." Quickly, Kokabiel stopped and brought her hands out before her, stopping a small part of the ripple from moving. Ophelia tried to see what was happening behind the more taller classmates. The spell warped the images of her waist and hands, and all the sound waves suddenly stopped in the middle of their paths to the ears. "The distance between adjacent waves is called a wavelength. Longer pipes give you a longer sound wave, with a lower pitch, or low frequency."

It seemed as though the scholar was growing irritated by all of the chaotic waves, so with a flurry of comical and frantic swatting, the magic sound waves vanished from sight, the magic dispelled.

"Thank you. Now, notice how far and how fast these waves have traveled during the duration of this note. Sound waves can't travel through a vacuum, like in outer space, they need matter to travel on, like molecules of air, water, and rock. Light waves, however, are different. They fly solo; and that, my children, is what we will be discussing today."

At this point, the other students were just now getting their notepads out at the ready as the live lecture began. The paladins in the rafters chatted among themselves, and the bards in the windows laughed, soon disappearing with their armored friend out the window. Ophelia had been writing everything down. "Light waves can move through empty space, and they can move fast. Over a million time faster than sound waves. And the wave lengths of the light we see, are so much shorter than sound waves, about fifty-thousand light waves could fit right in here," Kokabiel held her pointer finger about a hair higher than her thumb and let all of the children get a good look. Some giggled, others squinted, as if trying to see the tiny waves of light with their own eyes.

"Just as the wave length of sound determines the pitch we hear, the wave length of light determines what colors you and I see. Prisms, or the glass fixtures of light-bending science, change and manipulate that light. Prisms spread out the white light we see to reveal all of the colors that make up that white light."

A young man raised his hand above his head and Kokabiel pointed to him. "But how can a prism spread out the colors concealed in a beam of sunlight?"

"Fantastic question, Andell, I'm so glad you asked!" Now, she pulled a small crystal out from her robe pocket and held it high up into the light. On the marble floor below, the entire rainbow could be seen perfectly. "You see, when light travels through air or space, all of the colors move at the same speed. But, when it hits glass at an angle, the light slows down and each wave changes direction. Inside the prism, each color moves at a different speed. In glass, violet light, which is carried by the shortest waves, slows down more than red light, which has the longest wave length. These changes in speed help pry these colors apart, sending the waves off in slightly different directions. That, my pupils, is how a prism works."

"You are witnessing Astrophysics; the birth of my own field of science, and the sciences you will all come to understand, hopefully, by the time these next few terms are over. Written in light, the vertical black lines between one and every color, _within _one and every color, are a secret code."

Hushed murmurs arose from the cluster of students. Now, Ophelia had no intention of coming here to hear a lecture of the the properties of light and sound, but she was already so engaged, there was no way she could tear her attentions away. Well, that, and she had never heard anything about hidden codes in the light. That was some food for thought.

"When I first saw this phenomenon through my telescope, I wondered why. A code, it comes to us from an alien universe. I wondered, what is this message written in the dark vertical lines. Little did I know that it would take a hundred years of research, questioning, and need only experimentation to decipher it. There are many layers to the fine structure of beauty. Like the chemistry of our planet, and its atmosphere. Many distinct threads, allow me to examine one, at the utmost surface: The colors of nature that dazzle us. What's really happening? Let's take a look a bit deeper into the colors that we see and the codes within."

As Kokabiel went on about this subject, Opi heard the Clock Tower start to go off. It was chiming ten. _Oh no, the Boys! I'm still moving! I have to get back home!_

Ophelia ghosted out of that classroom as quickly as dignity would permit. The flight from the Imundii to her new home was a short one, but somehow those young Paladins made it possible to get everything delivered in less than three trips. Ophelia apologized to the group for getting sidetracked on this most tedious task. They said it was no problem, though, and had spent some time enjoying the scenery. Made her day much easier.

Now the boys said that they would help her move her belongings from one place to the next, but when it came time to unpack all these things and get them organized, they suddenly felt the need to go and stretch their wings.

They didn't come back. They all flew their happy asses home. Very possibly have gone to sleep.

Oh well. At least they swept up their mess.

She was so eager and so excited to get started on her new house, she hurriedly unrolled her hammock and found a nice space, right beneath the skylight for her to sleep. The moons looked enormous from this spot, and the neighboring planet's rings glowed luminously blue. She tied her hammock to the rafters up in the ceiling and searched for her pillows. She made sure to get all of her important belongings off of the ground floor, since she wasn't exactly sure how high the tide came out to her house. She didn't want to take a chance on getting any of her important books or scrolls damaged.

As she lifted heavy boxes up and over one another, she noticed the lines drawn on the floor. They were lined up with certain points on the walls that held a hard light ward, but of course, the wards were empty. The lines on the floor were all in sacred geometry, so she tried not to disturb them at all, lest she disturb some ancient spell Azreal may have set up here.

She stepped out on the porch, listening to the ocean. She listened to the waves, watched the two moons reflections in the mater beyond. A good portion of the shore was nowhere to be seen. She wanted to step out onto the shore and get a better look at things, but the water was all the way up to her top stair! Any higher, and It'd be up to her doorstep! She playfully splashed around in the warm waters, marveling at the faint orange hue the water took in the moonlight. She knew about the tiny animals that made up this strange orange light, and found it oddly satisfying how they made the ocean water, and everything swimming beneath her stairs glow!

She didn't want to stay out for too long, or else she would miss out on work to do tomorrow. She did want to see more of what was going on down there, what the fish were doing, where they were going, what types of fish came up here during the nighttime tides, but she was tired. All this thrill and excitement left her emotionally and mentally exhausted, and let's not even go over the numbing fear of what would transpire should Aboddon find out when he returned home, and her room was cleaned out!

Oh no. That thought settled as Ophelia climbed the stairs back into her house. Once inside, she changed out of her sodden clothing and slipped into a nightdress. She feared what he might pull as punishment for going against his wishes, and even leaving behind his back, of all things! Normally, this was something Ophelia could be seriously reprimanded for; this would made her a runaway, by all accounts. Runaways were associated with Delinquents. A Delinquent under Aboddon's name would be relinquished immediately, Ophelia had seen it happen herself with one of Azreal's sons, Raziel.

Raziel was said to have been a wonderful person, but after the death of Leliel, Azreal's youngest and only daughter at that time, something happened that changed him. He turned sour and distant, often saying or doing things that were considered extremely rude or blasphemous. She remembered hearing rumors about his actions while she was in school, but she knew Leliel; they were in the same class before she passed away. Opi knew that Raziel and Leliel were very close, and knew that her death had done something to haunt him, and from then on, he was corrupted by the memory of his darling sister.

She reflected on the hearing on his delinquency and when he was banished. She remembered feeling so sad for him. Not even Azreal could help him, and he was cast out to the Wake. She feared if that was what Aboddon would do to her. Hugging her pillows close to her, she looked up at the moons, now a purplish-blue hue in brightness. Her gaze followed the little dark lines in the rings of the nearby planet, finding herself dazzled by their brilliance. This was the way she wanted things to be, a feeling she'd longed for her entire life. There was no way this could possibly be wrong! She didn't deserve a punishment so cruel.

But neither did poor Raziel...

* * *

The following morning, as the young girl woke from a deeper sleep than she'd had in a long time. She felt out of place. She looked up to see bright morning sunlight peeking past the sunroof in her face. She could still see the planet; the smaller sun hung just above it. She listened wearily for the sounds of approaching feet; no noise, save the cawing of some seabirds. She heard the ocean through her open window. But most importantly, she didn't hear him. No Aboddon. She rubbed her hair back, gathering locks of messy curls of white,pulling some out of her mouth. She was wearing only her nightgown, but she sprang from her hanging bed and bolted out the front door, eager to see her house in a better light.

The salty wind was the first thing that hit her, then it was the sharp coolness of the early morning breeze, opposite the warm stillness the night before. Clouds drifted by in lazy puffs of ivory white and shimmering gold. The sunrise was pink on the horizon. Oh but the sky! She stood a good fifteen minutes just standing on her front porch and staring. She could see heaven's neighboring planet perfectly! Why, she could still make out the small storm on the planet, slowly fading with the light of the rising sun. The rings of that planet were painted a faint green and yellow in the sky. She let her head fall, her gaze following the waves that lapped up along the pebbly shore. All of the pebbles shone a bright orange, like the water of the night before. Did the angels here wake up to this sight all the time?! Every day?

No. No other angels lived right here on the water, they all lived closer to town. Only Ophelia, Azreal,and Jophiel had gotten to see this. Maybe that was why the Archangels have lived in this spot! The morning sky was the most beautiful thing for Jophiel to paint, and she imagined Azreal could meditate out here for hours.

She rubbed her shoulders and stepped on down, flinching when her bare feet touched the cool, smooth pebbles. It was funny to walk on, but she got used to the feeling after a few minutes. She looked around, making sure nobody would be swooping by while she was out in her nightdress. She walked under her porch and looked around to where she saw those glowing creatures beneath the water last night. She searched around the rocks for something alive, but only found crustaceans. Nothing glowing orange either. Damn. She really wanted to know for sure what those things were.

Ophelia headed back inside and decided to have some tea before she head out. She was to go to the pier and meetup with the twins, Luke and Ignatius. They told her at the spire that they had something for her, and she always had a thing for surprises, so of course she had to come. Of course, that would have to wait until after breakfast.

She decided that she would walk to the pier, rather than fly, to get a good view of the scenery. The morning was chilly and the sky was tinged multitudes of purples, pinks and golds. Having lived in the city her whole life, where it is noon-bright all year round, seeing a sunrise for the first time was absolutely breathtaking. All the colors in the sky, and the stars were out! She reminded herself to paint a picture of it for Duleb, to show her she had still been practicing!

She walked down the long expanse of the pebbly shore, and up the grassy hill towards the boardwalk. It was a series of sturdy wooden walkways leading from one part of the island to the next. She also took note that there was a similar wooden bridge leading from the town of Silverwall to the Imundii Spire. Ships dotted the ocean beyond that bridge, coming and going from their places in the fjord. Even more ships were lined up at the pier, angels flying this way and that as they tended to their vessels. She tried to keep an eye out for the familiar faces of the twins, but she only saw mostly dark-skinned shirtless angelic men and their sons working around the docks.

Once she was well away from the ships, she found herself at a crossroads similar to that of Hampchester's Square in Lostlight; four intersections of road that seemed to head into four different districts, she knew not one from another. Opi had to stop a few people and ask for directions. Apparently, this town only had one bakery. One place to go and get some tarts! That was outrageous! Not to mention the fact it was an hour walk across town. It was well worth the trip, however. The bakery in Silverwall was amazing! They had absolutely everything! The fish market was right behind it, and were the spice traders from Jordan and the fruit bearers from Pompeii were setting up seasonal shop next door, and the bakery made one of her favorite things- Ramen!

The boy at the shop was young, about twelve it seemed, and yet it seemed he was running the front just fine. His name was Hermes. It was strange how someone would just leave a kid in charge...

She bought three tarts and called it good, making her way back down to the pier. She walked at a leisurely pace. She wanted to see as much as possible before she went off back to the pier. She walked on past a few shops and homes, not like the identical structures of the White City. These buildings seemed more... modest. More practical for people of a smaller town, not so much grand and imposing as it was blocky and primitive. It looked nice; lots of plants and birds were seen in a great many windows, the outdoor streets were paved in orange sandstone rather than marble bricks. The homes and buildings around also looked to be made of that same sandstone.

Ophelia realized while walking that this was actually a nice change of scenery. She quietly admired the colors and shapes around her; the way the buildings stacked up on top of one another, rather than being all separated, and she liked that things were much smaller here. She could actually see the sky.

Ophelia did take notice of the fact that people seemed to act strangely around her. For instance, while Opi was checking out a floral shop beside the pier, she addressed a younger man asking what types of flowers they were, for she had never seen them, he seemed intimidated by her. He shuffled nervously and wouldn't stop looking over his shoulder, avoiding eye contact, and apologizing every other sentence. Normally, one would be chastise for such foolish behavior, especially in front of a lady, but Opi surmised it may be because of her attire. She never considered while getting dressed that she was actually going to be out on a boat. She was dressed in her usual robes of pink and blue, and noticed how most of the people dressed much more modestly.

She felt rather foolish after that, and even more so at the fact that some stranger would have been intimidated by a woman in a pretty dress. She thought she might as well hurry on home and find something else to put on, but all she ever wore were dresses-

"HEEY! OPHELIAAA~!"

_Oh come on now..._

Ophelia looked to where she heard her name being called. Two figures with broad white wings and even broader grins waved at her. Luke and Ignatius were without their armor, standing bare-chested in the bright morning sun, which Ophelia would never imagined she'd see in her lifetime. Why, they actually looked a head shorter without all their blocky armor. Nevertheless, they were massive men, and they were not at all unattractive. Ophelia felt a sudden heat spread across her cheeks, and had to remind herself not to stare, but it was a bit hard not to. She sucked her teeth through her lips and waved back, stiffly walking back toward the docks.

She watched from the corner of her eye as Ignatius pulled the long blonde hair from his face and pulled it back into a tight bun. Luke was busy unraveling a huge line of rope. They were chatting about the wind direction while Opi anxiously boarded their ship. A modestly sized ship, just as she hoped it would have been. She had seen a few of the more larger commercial ships, and didn't want to have to dive from a huge bay and plummet into the sea like a dead bird. The size of the vessel made her more comfortable.

"Oi, it's a good thing you came in so soon," Ignatuis started as he hefted something enormous up onto the bay of the ship, perhaps an anchor. "Thought you might not show today. We were gonna sail off without you."

Immediately, Opi perked right up. "Where are you off to?" She asked, crossing her arms as she approached the edge of the bay. She jumped as the screech of a hawk sounded from above, but recognized the bird to be Horus, Luke's animal companion.

"We're making a quick trip over to Pompeii, to the Kilauea district'" Luke interjected, tossing an armful of rope over the edge and into the water. "We're gonna do a round trip around the island, pick up what we need, show you around, and be back in time for supper tonight!"

Oh goodness, this was exciting! In a moment of childish excitement, she squealed and hopped up and down in her spot. Luke and Ignatius laughed along with her, having known her to be this excitable since she was little.

"Ay, you brought breakfast?" Luke asked, pointing with his chin at the bundle in Opi's hands.

"Oh yeah, I bought some tarts. But I'm way too excited to eat this now, I wanna get going! What can I do? How can I-"

Ignatius dropped down from the sails and delicately placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hold on now, haven't you been swimming yet?" he asked dryly.

The ship bobbed with the waves below. "No I haven't. I didn't imagine I'd be swimming today-" she sheepishly began tugging at the collar of her breast. "I haven't exactly dressed for the occasion..."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Luke and I just swim in our small clothes, I'm not too sure about women, though." He scratched his chin and thought for a moment. "I'm sure you could just take off all your robes and jump right in, we're all friends here."

Luke called over from the rails, pulling up the rope he had thrown in. "What are women even supposed to wear in the water?"

"Don't you fools know anything about women?" Ophelia playfully chastised, unbuttoning her collar and slipping off her shoes. "Ladies don't have torsos; just a void of space between our knees and our neck. We wear dresses and robes so not to scare any of our brothers away from us~"

Ophelia and the boys laughed as she tossed the shawl off of her shoulders and handed her treats over to an eager Ignatius, stepping closer to the rails. She could see her reflection in the dark azure waters below, and the shadow of Horus soaring up above. She had never swam in the ocean before, and had never known what it was like swimming in another animal's territory. Especially given the fact that this ocean was filled with whales, sharks, and the Creator only knew what. She was always nervous of swimming out into open water, not knowing what lurked in the darkness below and beyond. She had never even swam in a lake, or a pool, or a pond! The closest things Ophelia had ever experienced that was even close to swimming, were the baths she would take as a child, and eventually grew out of.

She listened closely to the boys talking it up from behind. She was weary of Ignatius trying to throw her into the water, as Luke had warned her that he can a trickster sometimes, and likes to play jokes on people.

"It's not as bad as you think it is. Only real problem about angels swimming is they tend to get real heavy. Going down isn't as much a problem as coming back up. Luckily, your wings are tiny compared to ours, so you might have an easier time moving around." Ignatius remarked, coming in close and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He pointed out toward the horizon. The shape of a small island stood out against the azure background. "That's the Lighthouse where Sahaqiel was raised. It guides in our ships during the storms."

She looked to where he pointed, but had to squint to really see what he was talking about. What she saw, though, didn't look like a lighthouse at all. Rather, it looked more like a flagpole jutting forth from the spire.

"There are two lighthouses?" Opi inquired, watching things stirring beneath the water. "Who lights the second one?"

Both brothers laughed. "Uh-huh. What, you didn't read anything about Ananiel in all your years of studying? She's the angel of storms; The Skymaster!" Ignatius frowned at Opi's puzzled expression. "She's the one who watches for storms, and helps sailors return to the shore safely. Her son, Sahaquiel, he lights the lighthouse at the top of the Imundii Spire. When the ships are out during monsoon season, She lights that tower, because the radiance from the sacred hardlight used to house the fire and the brazier intensify the natural glow of the holy fire, making a beacon that's impossible for our ships to miss."

Ophelia's eyebrows rose in surprise. She had no idea anyone had lived in that place. She thought it was just a lighthouse. She wanted to go and visit this Ananiel someday, and perhaps ask her a few questions about the magic hardlight. "That's very interesting. My new office is right beneath Bastet's Lighthouse! I think I may have seen Sahaquiel yesterday, I'm not too sure. Although I have to say, I've never heard the name Ananiel before."

Luke spoke up this time. "They probably have little documentation of her in the Argent Spire. After all, her family didn't belong to the city." He hopped down from the stern and stood a few feet away from the rail. He held a hand out before him, shielding his eyes from the sun's reflection off the water.

Ophelia wondered why any person wouldn't "belong to the city," when the White City was for everyone. She thought back to what Idella had said about Bastet not being of the city. Is that what she implied? That she didn't belong?

Opi immediately dispelled the thought from her mind. Now wasn't the time to be having such negative thoughts. She came out here today to learn about living out on the ocean, and she wasn't going to waste today by moping about while everyone else had a gay old time.

"How deep is the water?" She asked over the one of the screaming seabirds close by.

"Where we're at? About fifteen meters deep. There's a reef coming up in a few miles, thought you'd wanna go see that first." Ignatius replied as he wandered off to the Bay of the ship. "Ya ever seen a shark up close, Opi?" He called over.

"No I haven't."

The blonde elder laughed. "You ever touched one?" He called again.

"That's a stupid question." Ophelia laughed. Luke shot her a thumbs-up from beside her.

Both boys laughed and hooked up the lines, drawing forth the sails. Ophelia rocked on her heels as the boat jutted forward and they pulled through the water. She moved closer, leaning against the rails and watching the waves up ahead, and the young lady's reflection disappeared. More dark shadows moved beneath the surface. She wondered what they were, and was eager to find out.

Ophelia brought a hand before her, shielding her eyes from the sun. They were much further from the shore by now. Ignatuis mentioned that she may want to change before she tries to dive in; heavy angelic robes would surely drown her. There wasn't much else for a young lady to wear in the White City, so she thought it might be best to just go with Ignatius' idea and go out in her underwear.*

After some more sailing, Luke threw down the anchor and raked his bluish-grey hair back. He then brought up what he had said was a Harpoon gun. He demonstrated to Ophelia how the hooked and barbed end was used to catch large fish and sharks, and proceeded to show her what it was like in action. After the three angels scanned the reef, searching for a few good-sized sharks, Luke shot at the water, and it in turn turned put his fingers between his lips and whistled real loud, signaling the falcon to go out and retrieve their catch. Opi held an arm up to shield her eyes from the glare against the water. She watched the bird dart up and out, circling a few times about three meters out before making a dive for the water. Luke had that animal trained well. Opi quietly envied the man for having a companion that actually cooperated with him.

"What did you catch?" the scribe asked.

He didn't face her. "A shark. Small one, though. Just enough for Horus, and he'd be pleased."

The young angel squinted. "You just harpooned that shark for your friend here? With all due respect, isn't he capable of catching his own lunch, sir? And don't we have to bring something back to Pompeii?"

"Aye, but he's a lazy bird sometimes, and stubborn. I find that these small gestures like getting him a treat every so often gets me on his good side, so he's more inclined to do as I ask of him every now and then." He then turned and winked at her. "It's a mutual respect thing."

"Plus,' Ignatius added from behind,startling Opi. "We already have what we're bringing to Pompeii here, and the people don't expect anything more or less. We've got parchment, some sheet metals, a bill of sales, and a sailor princess that everybody wants to see more than anything!"

Ophelia didn't answer. She didn't want to know why the People of Pompeii wanted to see her so badly. That didn't matter right now. She pulled herself up onto the rails, and gained her awkward footing. When at last she felt she could stand up without flipping, she straightened herself out and looked down into the water. She wobbled a little, flinching and nearly loosing her balance as Luke came up behind with a spear in his hand.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get in there!" And then two big hands planted themselves firmly on her rear, shoving her forward and off the rails, into the water. She cried out in shock and the elder laughed, vaulting over the rail and joining her as she crashed into the water.

The sea was like ice, and she feared she might drown if she were to gasp, but she grew used to it quickly. She had to, or she felt she might sink. Opi moved slowly through the water, falling deeper and deeper into the water, watching with awe as colorful fish swam ina tight circle about her, then bolted off in the opposite direction. She watched for the twins through the flux of water as she fell deeper, but could see only rough pink and orange coral. Smaller yellow fish darted away from her, an enormous grey fish approached, frightening the child, and her wings felt limp. It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust, by that time Luke's warm hand had found her and was trying to get her to follow him.

She awkwardly tiptoed off of the wall of underwater flowers and allowed herself to roll with the current, gliding down from a drop off and onto a smooth and slippery stone hanging off the edge, almost sliding off. Fish darted all over, brightly colored things the angel had never seen in all her life, all right there at the bottom; small fish, big fish, fish that scuttled along the bottom with their tiny feets, sharks lurking ominously up above. The strange feeling the sand gave her on her bare feet spooked her at first, weary she might step on something hidden. Luke and Ignatius floated easily on by, Ignatius grabbing her by her arm to help her along. He pointed off over another wall of coral behind her and brought her to follow him.

Feathers floated loosely around them as they stepped on through the opening if coral on the rocks. She surmised they were Luke's feathers, given their grey-blue hue. It was a tight squeeze in some places, and Ophelia got a chance to have a good look at some of the smaller and more elusive plant life that hid in those little cracks. Behind her, Ignatius poked his head into a rock, driving out three eels, which frightened Ophelia when she first saw them, but utterly fascinated her a moment after. Where they swam, she watched, weary of a sudden agression, but the eels seemed more afraid of them then they were of it.

She hadn't realized that Luke had come to a stop and was waiting for her to run into him, which she did. He caught her by her shoulder and snatched her attentions away from the eels slithering away and Luke playing around on the reef. Where he pointed, she looked, but her eyes were met with nothing but a dark blue void of endless ocean where there was once beauty and life. Open Water. Something about looking down into that abyss frightened her. She could see some tiny crustaceans scuttling along the rocks as she followed the length of the chasm down. There was definitely something down there, Opi could feel it in her guts. Whether it be ancient artifacts or treasures, or a black hole, there was something.

It must have been quite the pristine ecosystem, the reef. She hadn't even gotten to have a good look at it. When she felt the need for air, Ophelia did as she would if she were flying away and opened her wings. Luke and Ignatius mirrored her, flapping their massive wings and floating upward. All three angels emerged, gasping for breath and Ophelia was left thrashing impotently in the water. With some banter and teasing from Luke and Ignatius, they all got to swimming back to the ship, climbing up the rope ladder and back onto the bay of the ship.

Ophelia's heart raced. Her minds reeled with excitement. She had so many questions, and wanted to ask them all at once. Her hair was stuck to her face, neck, and back in a sodden curly mess; her clothes hugged tightly to her heaving chest, and she shivered at the incoming breeze. (it's a cold day out, i repeat: cold. It's cold and wet.)

While Opi sat in a puddle and rambled on about how amazing that dive was, Ignatius went into the cockpit and grabbed some blankets to dry off with. "I'm tellin' ya, once we get to Pompeii, We'll introduce you to our friend, Israfel. She's a sailor, too, and know every shark and crab and snail in this reef, as well as on her own shore. She's a minstrel, and loves to talk. She'll see ya, Opi."

* * *

Manol tossed a satchel of gilt over his shoulder with a grin. "This yo' las day workin' fo tha vile merchant demon, yes?" He asked as he watched her shove the payment into the deep pockets of her trousers.

Duleb sat in front of Isis' shrine, her heavenly pink eyes smiling all across the room. Duleb's hair was pulled up into a sloppy platinum bun and she was eating a bowl of rice and _shoroko_ Manol had prepared for her. He had started feeding her every time she would deliver. It got to the point where Duleb was actually gaining some of her weight back. There was always something ready for her, and Manol had started taking her interests into concern more often.

Unless he were fattening her up to eat her, perhaps?

"Oh, certainly, and he's giving me next to no troubles about it! It was almost like he was pleased I was leaving." She finished that with a half-hearted laugh and a broad grin. "I was thinking of staying here, on this planet, I mean."Laughing absently, Duleb clapped her hands to her chest. "Look what Hell's done to me! If I'da stayed any longer, why I'd, I'da turned into..."

"One o' them?"

She spread her arms out and flicked her tail about. All that velvety fur was long gone, now; replaced by leathery red scales and skin. Her horns had been shorn, shortly after she turned fifteen, and she sported many symbolic tattoos of swirling superclusters, blossoming stars and planets with gouged rings, scarring in the places her anatomical points connected with her sacred geometry.* It was similar to the tattoos the women of the Guild of Laniekea Monastery got long ago, and Duleb had gotten the art done in Sophia a few years ago. Manol seemed rather impressed with them, but Ophelia hadn't seen them yet. She hasn't seen her since that festival...

"Pretty much. Guess you could say I already am one of them, huh?"

"Naw. Demons ar' mean an' ugly. You? Well, you no looker, but you' a real peach..."

Duleb had grown a great deal with Manol as a friend, over a good twenty-three years. He had taught her a great deal about his beliefs, and like some deranged disciple, Duleb hung on every tale. Tales about his Nine primordial gods and their deeds in creating the infinite cosmos; everything and anything in all of our reality, their involvement and interactions with mortals, and their respective planets, temples and shrines that once flourished all across creation, but have now fallen silent.

Here recently, Manol's been expecting a son, which has made him distraught, if not ecstatic. Amarii had been pregnant for a while now, and when Manol saw the shaman, he said he can expect a son from this litter. Manol did not have any sons of his own, he only had about thirty seven daughters. Thing is, Sprites hated boys. Their society was fundamentally female, and frowned upon little boys. Girls could do no wrong, but boys always have it rough in Sophia. It was a normal thing to see new mothers literally throwing their sons away.

"Listen, I had an idea, well-" Manol raked his hand through his snowy hair, pulling it out from his face.

"Wha'cha got in mind, old wizard?" She asked pointedly as she started shoving her payment away into her deep pockets.

His body swayed back and forth very easily as he walked. He seemed taller now, Sprites never seem to quit growing. His dragonfly wings hung limply on his back, shimmering with some alien like light.

"I'm goin' on a trip wit m'wife, Amarii, and we all suspect she's gonna pop any day now. We goin' up into da Baphomet mountains t' try and... procure a rare flower. It only blooms in one area, at one time, for one week, every seventy years." He paused long enough to comb his hair back, stretch, and put on a shirt before he spoke again.

"I need you t'help me take it."

"Is that it," the akuma droned. "You're just taking a trip with your lady warden to catch a magical flower?"

Pale blue fingers tenderly stroked the golden chain of a large garnet amulet that the sprite would almost always wear around his neck. It glowed a dull orange light as he rubbed it over and over, frowning. He pulled a wrap out of his pocket and lit it with a candle flame, taking a long drag. "Somethin' amiss?."

"Well, no. I just never imagined you'd be the one to pack up shop and go on some trek across the desert, all for some flower that might not even be there when you arrive. What's this flower even called, anyways?"

Manol didn't face her, nor did her answer for the longest time. He blew out a huge cloud of smoke and watched it all billow out the open window. "Otehp."

Duleb rolled the name around her brain for a moment. Otehp. Sounded like a paladin's name. She thought on it while she finished her bowl of rice. There was something he wasn't telling her, and she knew it. That way you look at someone when you know something that the other didn't, and was dragging the other further and further into deception. Duleb was weary of looks and attitudes like those, but she ignored her feelings and trusted Manol, as she normally did.

The youth brushed aside an aphid's ear and watched the elder pull that necklace off for the first time. She had to make herself look away, for it was like he was finally truly naked. He then strode over to where the akuma sat and bought the chain to her neck. It felt warm against her chest, and the stone continued glowing that pretty amber color.

"Oi, what's this, now?" Duleb asked defensively.

"Now, don't get the wrong idea, I 'ave no attraction to you whatsoever. But I trust you, Duleb. You're as good as a child to me, but none of mine can be trusted with this-"

"With what? Your religion?" She asked as cold fingers tightened the clasp at the back. "You mean none of your daughters know about this? None of your wives?" She asked dumbly.

Manol didn't answer. He only chuckled and took both sides of Duleb's head in his hands. "Listen, all of my wives, a lot of women in this place are _violent_. Maybe even more so than what you're used to. I've been dealing with this abuse my whole entire life, and I don't plan on livin' this way any longer. After this whole thing blows over, I'm talking that flower and I'm leaving."

"Leaving to where, Manol? Where will you go?"

"Mandalay."

* * *

"Seeing is not believing, our senses can deceive us. Even the stars are not what they appear to be. The cosmos, as revealed by scientific research, is stranger than I ever could have imagined. Light; Time; Space; Gravity; all conspire to create realities which lie beyond mortal experience. That's where I am headed.

"Come with me, and I'll show you."

On a clear and wonderfully starry night, Ophelia, the young astronomer and her child sister Talia strode the beach on the Empty Coast. Opehlia had sent a petition to her home in White City for Talia to be brought to her home in Silverwall for a night after school. There were no rejections reported, so sure as fate, Luden came on by with a taller, more talkative Talia and her feathered friend, Nina. Opi had offered Luden to spend the night, but given his recent promotion, he was plenty busy.

Opi walked along the shoreline, barefoot as usual. Nina was with them, and Talia would trow her a stick every so often as she and her sister talked. It had been a good long while since Talia had last seen Opi after she moved to Silverwall. Talia was already taller and noticably more mature then the little darling Opi had walked out on not too long ago.

"My teacher, Bastet, was the first of our kind to see deeper into the waters of the cosmic ocean. There, she glimpsed at the wonders that light does with time." Ophelia mused as she walked alongside the younger angel. She was picking up stones and hurling them back into the water.

"What does that even mean?"

Opi hummed in contentment. "Do you believe in ghosts, Talia?" the elder asked.

"Uh huh. But father says only necromancers concern themselves with ghosts. Why do you ask?" Talia said, stopping to pick up a rock she thought was especially pretty.

"Out of curiosity. But I'm not talking about the spiritual kind of ghost. Oh no, no, no. I'm talking about those," To which Ophelia stopped and put her hand on her sister's arm, pointing a finger up to the sky.

Now the child stopped and looked up, blinking and wiping her nose. She didn't cry out. She looked up and up, observing the stars and their entirety. That expression turned puzzled after a moment's thought. "Do you mean the stars, Opi?"

Ivory hair bobbed as Ophelia nodded. However, it seemed as though Talia still didn't follow.

"Look there, my love, and see a sky full of ghosts. Every star out there is a sun as big and as bright as our own, just imagine how far away from us you'd have to move the sun to make it appear as small and as faint as a star. The light from the stars travels very fast, faster than anything, but not _infinatley_ fast. It takes time for their light to reach us. For the nearest ones, it takes decades, for others, centuries, and even further, even longer! Some stars are so far away, it takes eons for their light to get to our realm. By the time the light from some stars get here, they are already dead. So we see not those stars, only their ghosts. We see their light, but their bodies have long since perished.

"Talia, I have seen further back in time most of our people, millions and millions of years into the past. A telescope, my dear, is a time machine. We cannot look out through space, without seeing back in time. In one second, light travels three hundred thousand kilometers, or one-hundred-eighty six thousand miles. That's nearly the distance from our planet to Titus. So, the next time you look up, and see the moon through our wards,you'll be seeing a light second back in time.

"I once had a friend, clever thing, an inventor, and an incredible artist, named Duleb. She held, that some stars are invisible, that they do, in fact, exist, but we shall never see them. Dark stars, she called them."

"With all due respect, Opi, surely your friend was mistaken. If no one can see them, then how can we possibly know they exist?"

"Did you see the man who lights the Lighthouse at the top of the Imundii Spire, little one?"

"Why, no. I didn't."

"But do you know that he exists?"

Talia had no answer. Surely he must exist, then here would be no lighthouse for the late ships returning from the fishing grounds.

As they continued to walk along the rocky shoreline, Talia throwing rocks and Nina running off to collect it back, Ophelia continued talking. "Duleb was one of the most brilliant scientists you've probably never heard of. If she ever sat for a portrait, it no longer exists. She was a dear friend of mine while I was still in school, such a shame you may never meet her. She imagined a star so big, and so massive, that nothing, not even light could escape its gravitational grip.

"Could she find a dark star?" Talia asked as she stroked Nina's head and beak.

Opi nodded and hummed contently. "Yes, Duleb theorized that we may be able to detect some of these dark stars by looking for the footprint they've left on the cosmic shore; or in a real case, their extreme gravity. If a dark star happened to be near a more luminous companion star, that star would appear to travel in a tight orbit around nothing. Even though we couldn't see it, she knew there had to be something there with a ton of mass. A dark star, or what we in the White Nation call a Black Hole."

"Is there a one near us? Will we get sucked into a black hole?" the youth asked.

"Yes, there is one in our galaxy, but it's far enough away for us to be perfectly safe. Now, black holes are not the world-devouring mindless vacuums of deep space you think they are, not even close. You have to come to them before they can pull you in. But if you do, it may be the last thing you ever see."

"I want to know more. Where do these dark stars come from? Did Duleb ever think of that?"

"Yes she did. I recall one evening, her and I were sitting beneath a tree, having tea before we went home, and I would show her my telescope and try to get her to show me where a dark star might be in our corner of the universe, and I think I might be getting close to finding out exactly where it is. Duleb theorized that a dark star was the result of a star having died out and collapsing under it's own mass, but we have yet to find the evidence that proves all that true."

"Have you been looking through your telescope to find it?"

"No, my telescope isn't strong enough to see that far. I can only see as far as Titus." Ophelia stopped and pulled the long slender golden tube from her knapsack and held it out before her. "If you think you can get around to focusing it correctly, maybe you can see it, too."

Talia spun around and dropped the shiny pebble in her hand and gasped."Really? Wow, okay!Which way should I be looking?" she asked excitedly, pulling out the remainder of the shaft and holding it up to her eye. Opi had to help turn her body and head, angling the telescope just right for her.

She had her sister facing southwest, toward the constellation Cyprus. She had her facing toward the dual-ring planet, Titus, a gas giant in their particular solar system. Talia was silent for a few minutes, twisting the nobs and the lenses back and forth, until she stopped and gasped, mouth agape. She stood there for a few moments, silently looking out to where her sister had pointed her.

"Whooooa~ That's Titus?! It's beautiful! Why is it so big?"

"It's a big planet to draw meteorites and other space debris away from our planet, offering us protection. Without Titus, we would be left at the mercy of the passing star matter and space trash."

Ophelia watched as Talia tried to place the telescope up to Nina's eye, trying to show her the planet up above. Not like the griffon couldn't see Titus where she was. Talia was so compassionate; so caring and energetic. Aboddon was wasting all that potential in training her as a fighter. Of course, all the time she spent roughhousing and romping around with the older boys and girls at the Hellguard facility; those times seemed like simple playtime for Talia, but there are elder angels constantly watching the children, asserting who was stronger, who was faster, who was smarter, and who was...

Like Talia. Those kids that could go on forever, and never run out of energy. Ophelia reflected on that. She wanted more for her sister. More than to hit things for the rest of her life, never expanding her own mind. She wanted her sister to not have that worry about getting hurt or hurting others. She should be playing in the ocean, not playing in the army. She should be drawing pictures and counting stars.

_We should be drawing pictures and counting stars._

* * *

***To be at the end of the table is normally where the youngest sits, although some family members would be placed the ad a symbol of resentment.**

***Not to coin a cliche, but how else is she supposed to charge her telescope?**

***Think of a baobab tree with little pink and white flowers! How pretty!**

***Don't worry, friends! Angelic tea isn't bad for cats, like the tea that grows on earth. It's actually good for them, easing the stomach when they've eaten something they shouldn't have, and making their coats nice and smooth.**

***It ain't necessarily "underwear," folks. Think like a little white romper everyone wears under their clothes. I imagine that male angels would just wear shorts, like boxers or something, while female angels would wear something similar, just with a top. Ya' know?**


End file.
